Consonants /h/ versus /l/, 280 pairs     [haplap.html]

The /h/ sound is spelled with <h>. The /l/ sound is spelled with <l>. Notice how the homographs lead pairs with head and heed and Lied/lied with heat and hide.

This is a contrast between a voiceless glottal fricative and a voiced lateral continuant, only occurring in syllable-initial position. The contrast is not a problem, although the individual sounds may be difficult for some learners.

Interesting pairs include:

haggard laggard
harboured larboard
hemming lemming
hewed lewd
higher liar

The mean density value is 1.9%. The lists make 141 semantic distinctions, a loading of 50%.

ahoy alloy
ha la
hack lack
  hacked lacked
  hacking lacking
  hacks lacks
had lad
haft laughed
hag lag
  hags lags
haggard laggard
hair lair
  hairs lairs
hair layer
  hairs layers
hake lake
  hakes lakes
half laugh
ham lam
  hams lams
  hamming lamming
  hammed lammed
ham lamb
  hammed lambed
  hamming lambing
  hams lambs
hand land
  handed landed
  handing landing
  hands lands
hank lank
hanky lanky
hap lap
  happed lapped
  happing lapping
  haps laps
harboured larboard
hard lard
harder larder
hare lair
  hares lairs
hare layer
  hares layers
hared laird
hark lakh			  
  harks lakhs
hark lark
  harked larked
  harking larking
  harks larks
Harriet lariat
Harry Larry
hash lash
  hashes lashes
  hashing lashing
  hashed lashed
haste laced
hatch latch
  hatched latched
  hatches latches
  hatching latching
hate late
hatter latter
haunch launch
  haunches launches
have lav
  haves lavs
haw law
  haws laws
haw lor
haw lore  
hawed laud
hay lay
haze lays
haze laze
  hazed lazed
  hazes lazes
  hazing lazing
hazy lazy
  hazier lazier
  haziest laziest
  hazily lazily
haziness laziness
he Leigh 
he lea
he lee
head lead
  headed leaded
  heading leading
  heads leads
head led
heap leap
  heaped leaped
  heaping leaping
  heaps leaps
hear leer
  hearing leering
  hears leers
hearer lira
  hearers liras
hearth lath
hearty lathi
heat Lied
heater litre
  heaters litres
heather leather
  heathers leathers
heave leave
  heaves leaves
  heaving leaving
heaven leaven 
  heavens leavens
heavy levee
  heavies levees
heavy levy
  heavies levies 
hedge ledge
  hedges ledges
heed lead
  heeding leading
  heeds leads
heeds Leeds 
heft left
height light
  heights lights
heighten lighten
  heightened lightened
  heightening lightening
  heightens lightens
hemming lemming
hen Len 
hennaed Leonard 
hens lens
Herne learn
Herr lair
Herr layer
hewed lewd
hi lie
hick lick
  hicks licks
hide lied
hie lie
  hieing lying
  hies lies
  hied lied
high lie
  highs lies
higher liar
hike like
  hiked liked
  hikes likes
  hiking liking
hilly Lily 
hilt lilt
  hilts lilts
him limb
hind lined
hint lint
  hints Linz 
hire liar
  hires liars
hive live
  hives lives
ho lo
ho low
hoar lor
hoard laud
  hoarded lauded
  hoarding lauding
  hoards lauds
hoard lord
  hoards lords  
hob lob
  hobs lobs
hobby lobby
  hobbies lobbies
hock loch
  hocked locked
  hocking locking
  hocks lochs
hods Lodz 
hoe low
  hoeing lowing
  hoed lowed
  hoes lows
hoed load
hog log
  hogged logged
  hogging logging
  hogs logs
holly lolly
holy lowly
  holier lowlier
  holiest lowliest
  holiness lowliness
home loam
homey loamy
hone loan
  honed loaned
  hones loans
  honing loaning
Hoo lieu
Hoo loo
hooey Louis 
hook look
  hooked looked
  hooking looking
  hooks looks
hookah looker
  hookahs lookers
hooker looker
  hookers lookers
hoop loop
  hooped looped
  hooping looping
  hoops loops
hoot loot
  hooted looted
  hooting looting
  hoots loots
hooter looter
  hooters looters
Hoover louvre
  Hoovered louvered
  Hoovers louvres
hop lop
  hopped lopped
  hopping lopping
  hops lops
hope lope
  hoped loped
  hopes lopes
  hoping loping
horde laud
  hordes lauds
horde lord
  hordes lords  
horn lawn
  horns lawns
hot lot
  hots lots
house louse
Howard loured
huff luff
  huffed luffed
  huffing luffing
  huffs luffs
hug lug
  hugged lugged
  hugging lugging
  hugs lugs
hull lull
  hulled lulled
  hulling lulling
  hulls lulls
hump lump
  humped lumped
  humping lumping
  humps lumps
hunch lunch
  hunched lunched
  hunches lunches
  hunching lunching
hung lung
hush lush
hymn limb
  hymned limbed
  hymning limning
  hymns limbs
overhand overland
Soho solo
who lieu
who loo
whom loom 
whore law
  whores laws
whore lor
whore lore  
whose loos
whose lose

John Higgins, Shaftesbury, December 2010.