Minimal Pairs

Have you heard of Minimal Pairs? A minimal word pair consists of two words that vary by only a single sound. For example, contacalculationCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine and contotaleCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine – the only difference is in the final sound (the vowel sounds represented by a and o). Practicing with Portuguese minimal pairs is a great way to perfect your pronunciation and comprehension because it teaches you to hear the subtle differences between similar sounding words. As you’ll see in the examples below, even a tiny change in pronunciation means you could be saying something much different from what you intend to say!
While we’re at it, let’s also make a distinction between minimal pairs, homophones, and homographs.

• Homophones are words with the same exact pronunciation but different meanings
• Minimal pairs are words that have the same pronunciation except for only a single sound, also known as a fonema (phoneme). That single sound difference is the only thing that lets you know they are two different words – they are minimally different.
• Homographs are words that are written the same exact way but pronounced differently. Some minimal pairs can also be homographs but that’s not the norm.

Let’s dive into some Portuguese minimal pairs!

Open vs. Closed Vowels

àCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition, Contractions, Singular, Feminine vs. aCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition

• • • dágiveCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs daof theCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition, Contractions, Singular, Feminine
    • àsto theCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition, Contractions, Plural, Feminine astheCommunity Slow audio Play audio Article, Plural, Feminine
    • para - parastop - toCommunity Slow audio Play audio
    • falámoswe spokeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs falamoswe speakCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs

éCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb vs. êCommunity

• • • sécathedralCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine sêbeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • erro - erroI make mistakes - mistakeCommunity Slow audio Play audio
    • sede - sedeheadquarters - thirstCommunity Slow audio Play audio
    • céuskyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine seuyoursCommunity Slow audio Play audio Determiner, Masculine

óCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds vs. ôCommunity

• • • sóaloneCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adverb souI amCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • olho - olhoI look - eyeCommunity Slow audio Play audio
    • póspostCommunity Slow audio Play audio pôsputCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • avógrandmotherCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine avôgrandfatherCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine

Oral Vowels vs. Nasal Vowels

aCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition vs. anCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds

• • • casadomarriedCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine cansadotiredCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Singular, Masculine
    • seiI knowCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs semwithoutCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjunction

aCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition vs. ãCommunity

• • • manhaslynessCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine manhãmorningCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • campanhacampaignCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine CampanhãPortuguese parishCommunity Slow audio Play audio Proper Noun, Singular

éCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb /êCommunity vs. enCommunity

• • • metagoalCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine mentamintCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • pesoweightCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine pensobandageCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • cedoearlyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adverb sendobeingCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • violetavioletCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Feminine violentaviolentCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Feminine

íCommunity vs. inCommunity

• • • si(pronoun)Community Slow audio Play audio Pronoun, Singular simyesCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adverb
    • ficastayCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs fincastickCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • vidalifeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine vindaarrivalCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • lidoreadCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective / Past Participle, Masculine lindobeautifulCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Masculine

ôCommunity vs. onCommunity

• • • souI amCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs somsoundCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • coxathighCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine conchaladleCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • rouborobberyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine rombobreachCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • poissinceCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjunction põesyou putCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs

uCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds vs. unCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds

• • • otheCommunity Slow audio Play audio Article, Singular, Masculine umoneCommunity Slow audio Play audio Number
    • fugaescapeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine fungasniffleCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • tubatubaCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine tumbatombCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • mudomuteCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine mundoworldCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine

Nasal Vowels vs. Nasal Vowels

enCommunity vs. anCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds

• • • entroI enterCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs antrodenCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • tentoI tryCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs tantoso muchCommunity Slow audio Play audio Quantifiers

onCommunity vs. unCommunity Slow audio Play audio Sounds

• • • pombadoveCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine pumba(interjection)Community Slow audio Play audio Interjection

Reduced Vowels

A reduced vowel is another name for a weak sounding vowel. The examples below are not pairs but trios that only sound different because of the reduced vowel.

• • • daof (female)Community Slow audio Play audio Preposition, Contractions, Singular, Feminine deofCommunity Slow audio Play audio Preposition doof (male)Community Slow audio Play audio Preposition
    • falaspeaksCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs falespeak (formal)Community Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs faloI speakCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • façado (formal)Community Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs faceregardingCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine façoI doCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • saltajumpsCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs saltejump (formal)Community Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs, Formal saltojump (noun)Community Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • riscasstripesCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Plural, Feminine risquesscratch (verb)Community Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs riscosscratchesCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Plural, Masculine

Consonants

Now we’ll move on to some Portuguese minimal pairs that let us distinguish between similar consonant sounds.

n vs. nh

• • • manasis (from 'sister')Community Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine manhaslynessCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • sonosleepCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine sonhodreamCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • tinabowlCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine tinhahadCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • HispâniaHispania (Roman province)Community Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine EspanhaSpainCommunity Slow audio Play audio Proper Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • Tânia(person's name)Community Slow audio Play audio Proper Noun, Singular tenhahave (formal)Community Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs

ss / ç vs. z

• • • caçoI huntCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs casocaseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • assarroastCommunity Slow audio Play audio Verb azarbad luckCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • ouçalistenCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs ousadareCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs

x vs. j

• • • rixafightCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine rijatoughCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Feminine
    • achathinksCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs hajathere isCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • chatoboringCommunity Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Masculine jatojetCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • queixochinCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine queijocheeseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine

l vs. lh

• • • faloI speakCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs falhoI missCommunity Slow audio Play audio Conjugated Verbs
    • rolaturtle-doveCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine rolhacorkCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • malasuitcaseCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine malhameshCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • velacandleCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine velhaold (female)Community Slow audio Play audio Adjective, Singular, Feminine
    • Júlio(name)Community Slow audio Play audio Proper Noun, Singular julhoJulyCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine
    • gálio galliumCommunity galhotwigCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Masculine

v vs. f

• • • vacacowCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine facaknifeCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine
    • varinhawandCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine farinhaflourCommunity Slow audio Play audio Noun, Singular, Feminine