Pronunciation Practice for Vietnamese Speakers of English = Minimal Pairs

Assembled by Dr Jeff Hawkins with AI.
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English Minimal Pairs Practice Sheet
Tailored for Vietnamese Speakers Learning English
This practice sheet focuses on English pronunciation contrasts that are commonly challenging for Vietnamese speakers. Practice saying each pair out loud, paying close attention to vowel length, tongue placement, and final consonants.
1. Vowel Length Contrast (/ɪ/ vs. /iː/)
Tip: /ɪ/ is short and relaxed (lax), while /iː/ is long and smiling (tense).
Word A
Word B
Example Practice Sentence
Ship
Sheep
The big ship was carrying a lot of white sheep. 
Bit
Beat
Just a little bit of rhythm can beat the drums.
Sit
Seat
Please sit down in your assigned passenger seat. 
Fit
Feet
These new running shoes fit my large feet perfectly.
Live
Leave
Where do you live? When do you have to leave?

2. Front Vowels Contrast (/æ/ vs. /e/)
Tip: Open your mouth wider for /æ/ (like dropping your jaw) than for /e/.
Word A
Word B
Example Practice Sentence

Bad
Bed
It is a bad habit to eat breakfast in bed.

Man
Men
That tall man is leading a large group of men.

Pan
Pen
He placed the frying pan next to his ink pen.

Sad
Said
She looked very sad after she heard what he said.

Bag
Beg
Do not put the paper bag there, or the dog will beg.

 
3. Dental Fricatives Contrast (/t/ or /s/ vs. /θ/)
Tip: Put your tongue gently between your front teeth for /θ/ (the voiceless 'th' sound).
Word A
Word B
Example Practice Sentence

Tank
Thank
I want to thank you for repairing the water tank.

Tree
Three
There are exactly three birds sitting up in the tree.

Sink
Think
I think water is leaking from underneath the kitchen sink.

Tick
Thick
The loud tick of the clock came from behind the thick wall.

Pass
Path
You must pass through the forest along this narrow path.

 
4. Voiced vs. Voiceless Final Consonants
Tip: Do not drop the final sound! Vowels before voiced consonants (like /d/, /g/) are held slightly longer.
Word A
Word B
Example Practice Sentence

Cap
Cab
Put on your baseball cap before getting into the taxi cab.

Hat
Had
The man wearing the red hat had a great idea.

Pick
Pig
Please pick out the cleanest straw for the farm pig.

Card
Cart
Swipe your reward card before filling your shopping cart.

Ice
Eyes
Look at the frozen ice cubes through your closed eyes.

English Minimal Pairs Practice for Vietnamese Speakers
1. /s/ vs. /ʃ/ (See vs. She)
Vietnamese often merges the English "sh" /ʃ/ sound into a standard /s/, making these word pairs sound identical.

• See – She
• Sip – Ship
• Sock – Shock
• Mass – Mash
• Sue – Shoe
• Same – Shame
• Sign – Shine

2. /s/ vs. /θ/ (Sink vs. Think)
The unvoiced "th" /θ/ sound does not exist in Vietnamese and is often replaced by /s/ or /t/.

• Sink – Think
• Sin – Thin
• Pass – Path
• Face – Faith
• Boat – Both
• Sum – Thumb

3. /t/ vs. /θ/ (Tree vs. Three)
Another common substitution where the dental fricative /θ/ becomes a simple alveolar stop /t/.

• Tree – Three
• Tank – Thank
• Tin – Thin
• True – Through
• Tick – Think
• Mat – Math

4. /z/ vs. /ð/ (Breeze vs. Breathe)
The voiced "th" /ð/ sound is frequently substituted with /z/ or /d/ by Vietnamese speakers.

• Whizz – With
• Zeal – Their
• Breeze – Breathe
• Closing – Clothing
• Louder – Loather

5. /f/ vs. /p/ (Coffee vs. Copy)
Vietnamese speakers often substitute /p/ for /f/ in initial or medial positions.

• Coffee – Copy
• Fast – Past
• Fail – Pale
• Safe – Sape
• Fan – Pan
• Fine – Pine

6. /v/ vs. /w/ (Vow vs. Wow)
The labiodental /v/ sound can merge into a bilabial /w/ or get confused with /b/.

• Vow – Wow
• Vest – West
• Vine – Wine
• Veil – Wail
• Verse – Worse
• Vent – Went

7. /tʃ/ vs. /dʒ/ (Cheap vs. Jeep)
Voiced and unvoiced affricates can lose their distinct contrast.

• Cheap – Jeep
• Choke – Joke
• Chain – Jane
• Chest – Jest
• Batch – Badge

8. Final Unreleased Consonants
English final consonants require clear articulation, whereas Vietnamese unreleases or drops final codas.

• Hat – Had
• Back – Bag
• Bus – Buzz
• Bit – Bid
• Safe – Save
• Lack – Lag

9. Short Vowels vs. Long Vowels (/ɪ/ vs. /i:/ and /æ/ vs. /ʌ/)
English vowel length and quality carry distinct meanings that tend to collapse into shorter native vowel habits.

• Ship – Sheep
• Bit – Beat
• Sit – Seat
• Cat – Cut
• Hat – Hut
• Bad – Bud