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Core minimal pairs
Core minimal pairs for /ʌ/
/ʌ/ is a short, mid-central vowel with no lip rounding. Don't round the lips or back the tongue.
Practice these minimal pairs carefully. If the pair sounds the same in your recording, you're not making the contrast.
Your goal
- Say each pair slowly first — exaggerate the difference.
- Then say each pair at natural speed with the contrast preserved.
- Record and self-check.
/ʌ/open-mid back unroundedArticulator diagram · regional variants · drill ↗
Listen Across Accents
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cup
but
luck
Your Turn — 4 exercises
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