
“Minimal pairs” are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme (sound) resulting in a change in meaning of the word. SLPs often use minimal pairs therapy when phonological processes are present in order to highlight the sound contrast.
When using minimal pairs in speech therapy, the following steps are helpful
- Familiarize: Introduce the child to each minimal pairs picture card to ensure that the child is familiar with the meaning of each target word.
- Auditory Discrimination: With one set of cards in front of the child at a time, say each of the target words and ask the child to point to word/sound he or she heard.
- Alternatively, spread the individual cards on the table and ask the child to listen to the target word and pick up the correct card. Repeat this step until all individual cards are accurately picked up.
- Production: The child practices saying the target words.
- You may find it helpful to ask the child to play the role of “teacher.” The child instructs the SLP (or parent) on which word to pick up. Pick up the card that corresponds with the child’s production, regardless of what the child meant to say. if the card is incorrect (e.g., the child says, “No, I said bug!”), then pick up both cards in the pair and ask the child which word she or he meant to say.
- Auditory Bombardment: You may wish to read a list of words with the target sound/sound pattern to increase the child’s awareness of the sound or sound pattern. (Earphones and slight amplification are typically recommended for auditory bombardment).
These Minimal Pairs PDF Worksheets assist in targeting several phonological processes, including:
- Gliding (L-W Minimal Pairs, R-W Minimal Pairs)
- Final Consonant Deletion (FCD Minimal Pairs)
- Fronting (S-SH Minimal Pairs)
- Stopping (F-P Minimal Pairs)
- Voicing (S-Z Minimal Pairs, P-B Minimal Pairs, K-G Minimal Pairs)
- Cluster Reduction (S-Clusters Minimal Pairs)
- Deaffrication (SH-CH Minimal Pairs)
Table of Contents
Preview ofDownloadable Free Minimal Pairs PDF Worksheets:



Download Free Minimal Pairs PDF Worksheets:
/p/ and /b/ Minimal Pairs (P and B Downloadable Worksheets)
- P/B Initial Minimal Pairs (P vs B, Initial Position of Words)
- P/B Final Minimal Pairs (P vs B, Final Position of Words)
/θ/ and /f/ Minimal Pairs (Voiceless “TH” and F Downloadable Worksheets)
- θ/F Initial Minimal Pairs (TH vs F, Initial Position of Words)
- θ/F Final Minimal Pairs (TH vs F, Final Position of Words)
/s/ and /z/ Minimal Pairs (S and Z Downloadable Worksheets)
- S/Z Final Minimal Pairs (S vs Z, Final Position of Words)
/s/ and /ʃ/ Minimal Pairs (S and “SH” Downloadable Worksheets)
- S/SH Initial Minimal Pairs (S vs SH, Initial Position of Words)
- S/SH Final Minimal Pairs (S vs SH, Final Position of Words)
/ʃ/ and /tʃ/ Minimal Pairs (“SH” and “CH” Downloadable Worksheets)
- SH/CH Initial Minimal Pairs (SH vs CH, Initial Position of Words)
Final Consonant Deletion Minimal Pairs (FCD Downloadable Worksheets)
- Final Consonant Deletion Minimal Pairs for /k/
- Final Consonant Deletion Minimal Pairs for /p/
- Final Consonant Deletion Minimal Pairs for /t/
/k/ and /g/ Minimal Pairs (K and G Downloadable Worksheets)
- K/G Initial Minimal Pairs (K vs G, Initial Position of Words)
- K/G Final Minimal Pairs (K vs G, Final Position of Words)
/d/ and /g/ Minimal Pairs (D and G Downloadable Worksheets)
- D/G Initial Minimal Pairs (D vs G, Initial Position of Words)
/r/ and /w/ Minimal Pairs (R and W Downloadable Worksheets)
- R/W Initial Minimal Pairs (R vs W, Initial Position of Words)
/l/ and /w/ Minimal Pairs (L and W Downloadable Worksheets)
- L/W Initial Minimal Pairs (L vs W, Initial Position of Words)
/r/ and /l/ Minimal Pairs (R and L Downloadable Worksheets)
- R/L Initial Minimal Pairs (R vs L, Initial Position of Words)
/f/ and /p/ Minimal Pairs (F vs P Downloadable Worksheets)
- F/P Initial Minimal Pairs (F vs P, Initial Position of Words)
S-Blends Minimal Pairs (Cluster Reduction/Consonant Blends Downloadable Worksheets)
- Initial S-Blends Minimal Pairs (S Blends, Initial Position of Words)
Many more free downloadable PDF worksheets to come and added to the list. To get notified, please subscribe to our Speech Therapist Tools newsletter.
Credits:
- Full Clipart Credits
Minimal Pairs Game Ideas
Practicing minimal pairs through games can make speech therapy sessions engaging and effective. To play the below games, simply print the above FREE downloadable pdf worksheets on heavy paper or laminate the sheets prior to cutting out the cards.
Here are some popular games that can be modified to target minimal pairs in speech therapy:
1. Memory (Matching Game)
- How to Play: Place the cards face down. The player flips over two cards at a time, trying to find the matching pairs of minimal pairs cards.
- Considerations: While adults may be able to match two minimal pair cards, this would likely present too large of a cognitive load for children (i.e., the child would not only need to try to remember where the cards are that have been turned around, but the child would also need to think about which card matches with its minimal pair, and, on top of all of that, practice identifying the correct sound or producing the correct sound for speech therapy). When playing with children, it might be best to print out two of the same worksheets so that there is an exact match for each card (i.e., when practicing “sh” vs. /s/ minimal pairs, the SLP prints out two “sea” cards for the client to match instead of trying to match a “sea” card with a “she” card). Targeted speech therapy practice can then be tailored to the client’s specific needs and abilities in the context of this game.
2. Bingo
- How to Play: Create bingo cards with minimal pairs on them. The speech therapist says a word, and the player marks it on their card if it’s present. The first to get a line wins.
- Considerations: Have sets of minimal pairs on the card. For example, if you are practicing “sh” vs. /s/, and you have “sea” on the bingo card, make sure that “she” is also on the bingo card, right next to it, so the student has a chance to distinguish between the correct sound and the substitution error during auditory discrimination practice.
3. I Spy
- How to Play: The therapist says, “I spy with my little eye something that sounds like “cat” but is not “cat.” The child must guess the minimal pair word (e.g., “bat”).
- Considerations: You would likely want the minimal pair cards in front of the student for added prompting. This game might work well as a warm-up to minimal pairs speech therapy.
4. Go Fish
- How to Play: Create a deck of cards with the targeted worksheet. Players ask each other for a specific word in the pair. For example, “Do you have ‘bat’?” If the opponent has it, they hand it over. If not, the player must “go fish” and draw from the deck.
- Considerations: Same as the Memory/Matching Game, above. You will likely need to print out two of each worksheet as it is likely too much of a cognitive load for many children to play the game, recognize the minimal pair and engage in speech therapy. As above, and as always, tailor the speech therapy practice to the individual child’s abilities and needs.
5. Minimal Pair Tic-Tac-Toe
- How to Play: The board has targeted words in each square. Each time a player wants to place their X or O, they must say the word in the square correctly. The therapist can reinforce proper articulation before marking it.
- Considerations: This could work well when the student is at the “production” phase of minimal pairs therapy and has moved on from the “auditory discrimination” phase (See explanation of helpful steps when conducting minimal pairs speech therapy at the top of this page). I would likely only try this for students/clients that absolutely love tic-tac-toe, of which I’ve had quite a few.
6. Board Games (Customized)
- How to Play: Use any board game like Snakes and Ladders or Candyland. Before rolling or moving, the player must correctly say a targeted word or identify the correct sound difference between a pair.
- Considerations: Favorite board games that work well for articulation-like practice have also included Connect 4, Sorry, checkers, Uno, Operation, Pop the Pig, Don’t Break the Ice (though this can be much too loud if there are other SLPs conducting therapy in the same room), and Jenga (similar problem to Don’t Break the Ice).
Incorporating games into your practice not only makes therapy sessions more engaging but can also reinforce learning in a fun and interactive way. By turning repetitive exercises into playful activities, children are more motivated to participate and retain what they’ve learned. This approach blends structured speech targets with creativity, ensuring that speech development remains both effective and enjoyable.
Minimal Pairs Therapy for Phonological Processes
Common phonological processes, often treated via minimal pairs therapy by a Speech-Language Pathologist, include:
Syllable Structure Processes
These processes change the structure of a word by adding, removing, or rearranging sounds.
- Weak syllable deletion
- Omission of an unstressed syllable.
- Example: banana → /nænə/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 4 years
- Final consonant deletion
- Omission of the final consonant in a word.
- Example: cat → /kæ/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Cluster reduction
- Omission of one or more consonants from a consonant cluster.
- Example: spoon → /pun/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3.5 to 4 years without /s/; 5 years with /s/
- Reduplication
- Repetition of a syllable or part of a word.
- Example: bottle → /bɑbɑ/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Epenthesis
- Insertion of a vowel sound, typically the sound “uh,” to break up a consonant cluster.
- Example: black → /bəˈlæk/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 8 years
Substitution Processes
These processes replace one sound with another.
- Stopping
- Substitution of a stop for a fricative or affricate.
- Example: sun → /tʌn/
- /f/, /s/: Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- /v/, /z/: Typical Age of Elimination: 3.5 years
- /ʃ/, /ʧ/, /ʤ/: 4.5 years
- /θ/: Typical Age of Elimination: 5 years
- Fronting
- Replacement of a velar or palatal sound with an alveolar sound.
- Example: key → /ti/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3.5 years
- Gliding
- Substitution of a glide (/w/ or /j/) for a liquid (/l/ or /r/).
- Example: rabbit → /wæbɪt/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 5-6 years
- Vowelization (or Vocalization)
- Replacement of a syllabic consonant (like /l/ or /ɚ/) with a vowel.
- Example: table → /teɪbo/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 5 years
- Affrication
- Replacement of a fricative with an affricate.
- Example: shoe → /ʧu/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Deaffrication
- Replacement of an affricate with a fricative or stop.
- Example: cheese → /ʃiz/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 4 years
- Backing
- Replacement of an alveolar sound with a velar or palatal sound.
- Example: dog → /gɔg/
- Typical Age of Elimination: Atypical process seen in more severe delays
Assimilation Processes
These processes make one sound more like another nearby sound.
- Labial assimilation
- Non-labial sound becomes labial due to the influence of a nearby labial sound.
- Example: pen → /pɛm/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Velar assimilation
- Non-velar sound becomes velar.
- Example: dog → /gɔg/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Nasal assimilation
- Non-nasal sound becomes nasal.
- Example: candy → /nændi/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Voicing assimilation
- Voiceless sound becomes voiced when near a voiced sound.
- Example: pig → /bɪg/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Final Consonant Devoicing
- Voiced sound becomes voiceless.
- Example: bad → /bæt/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Prevocalic Voicing
- A voiceless consonant becomes voiced when it occurs before a vowel.
- Example: /pi/ → /bi/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 6 years
- Final Consonant Devoicing
- A voiced consonant at the end of a word becomes voiceless.
- Example: /raɪd/ → /raɪt/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 3 years
- Denasalization
- A nasal consonant (i.e., /m/, /n/, /ŋ/) is replaced by a non-nasal consonant, typically a stop consonant (e.g., /b/, /d/, /g/).
- Example: /rɪŋ/ → /rɪg/
- Typical Age of Elimination: 2.5 years
- Coalescence
- Two adjacent sounds in a word are replaced by a single sound that shares features of both original sounds; simplifies speech by combining the characteristics of two distinct sounds into one.
- Example: /spun/ → /fun/
- The /s/ and /p/ sounds are replaced by /f/, which shares fricative features with /s/ and labial features with /p/.
- Typical Age of Elimination: 6 years
Phonological processes are often normal in young children as they develop speech but usually fade as they grow older. Persistent phonological processes beyond the expected developmental period may indicate a speech disorder requiring intervention. If you would like to calculate precise age, please check out our Chronological Age Calculator, here!
Alternative Speech Therapy Approaches to Treat Phonological Processes
1. Cycles Approach
- Focus: Designed for children with multiple phonological errors, this approach systematically cycles through error patterns.
- Method: The clinician selects specific phonological patterns to target during each cycle (e.g., final consonant deletion or fronting). Each pattern is targeted for a specific period (e.g., one week) before moving on to the next. After cycling through each target pattern, the cycle repeats.
- Benefits: Emphasizes gradual improvement over mastery; suitable for children with highly unintelligible speech.
2. Multiple Oppositions Approach
- Focus: Targets several phonemes at once to address cases where one phoneme is substituted for multiple others (e.g., replacing /t/ with /k/, /s/, and /ʃ/).
- Method: The therapist introduces contrasting word pairs with multiple phoneme errors, working to improve the child’s ability to differentiate between different sounds.
- Benefits: Efficient for addressing “collapse” of multiple phonemes into one sound, leading to faster improvement in intelligibility.
3. Core Vocabulary Approach
- Focus: Effective for children with inconsistent speech errors who may struggle with phonological processing or planning.
- Method: The clinician and family create a list of functional, frequently used words for the child. Therapy focuses on achieving consistent, correct production of these core words through repeated practice.
- Benefits: Improves consistency in word production, laying a strong foundation for intelligibility even before addressing specific phonological errors.
4. Auditory Discrimination Therapy
- Focus: Helps children distinguish between correct and incorrect sounds, especially when they have trouble perceiving differences in sounds (e.g., hearing /k/ vs. /t/).
- Method: The therapist plays contrasting pairs of sounds, words, or phrases and asks the child to identify differences. The goal is to enhance the child’s auditory discrimination skills, which can lead to more accurate sound production.
- Benefits: Foundational for children who lack awareness of their sound errors, facilitating later success with production-based therapies.
5. Articulation-Based Approaches
- Focus: Although typically used for individual sounds, articulation therapy can be adapted for phonological errors if a child struggles with specific articulations.
- Method: Traditional articulation therapy focuses on accurate placement and production of sounds through various levels: isolation, syllables, words, phrases, and sentences.
- Benefits: Best for children who need explicit instruction on sound placement and production. It can complement phonological therapy, especially when residual articulation errors remain.
6. Language-Based Phonological Intervention
- Focus: Integrates phonological development with broader language goals, addressing both language and phonology in a holistic manner.
- Method: Activities focus on phonological processes within a language context, such as storytelling, reading, or conversation. This approach emphasizes phonology as part of overall language skills.
- Benefits: Useful for children with both language and phonological impairments, providing a more naturalistic setting to generalize phonological skills.
7. Enhanced Milieu Teaching with Phonological Emphasis (EMT-PE)
- Focus: Blends naturalistic communication strategies with targeted phonological goals.
- Method: This approach combines language stimulation in a play-based environment with phonological goals. Clinicians encourage spontaneous speech and respond with models or expansions to improve intelligibility.
- Benefits: Helps integrate phonology with functional communication in everyday contexts, ideal for young children or those needing naturalistic learning environments.
Each of these options serves different needs and can be adapted based on individual therapy goals, age, and severity of phonological processing issues. Selecting the right approach depends on the child’s unique phonological profile and learning style.