Pairs that sound almost the same

1. shipʃɪpnoun

   A large boat that carries people or goods across the sea.

   Short and clipped. Let it end almost before it starts.

2. sheepʃiːpnoun

   A farm animal kept for its wool and its meat.

   The vowel is held twice as long as in ship. Length is the only clue.

3. chiptʃɪpnoun

   A small broken piece of something, or a thin fried slice of potato.

   Same short vowel as ship.

4. cheaptʃiːpadjective

   Costing little money.

   Long vowel, like sheep. Saying it short turns it into chip.

5. fillfɪlverb

   To put enough into something to make it full.

   Short vowel, and the L arrives quickly.

6. feelfiːlverb

   To notice something through your body or your emotions.

   Long vowel before the L. Most speakers cut it short and land on fill.

7. soapsoʊpnoun

   What you wash with.

   The vowel slides from O towards U inside one syllable.

8. soupsuːpnoun

   A hot liquid food you eat with a spoon.

   One steady vowel, no slide. That is the whole difference from soap.

9. walkwɔːkverb

   To move on your feet at a normal speed.

   The L is silent, and the vowel is the one in more.

10. workwɜːrkverb

    To do a job.

    The R colours the vowel. Nothing here sounds like walk.

Sentences

1. The ship leaves from the other side of the port.
2. There were sheep all over the road this morning.
3. This plate has a chip on the edge.
4. The hotel was cheap and surprisingly clean.
5. Could you fill this bottle with cold water?
6. I feel much better than I did yesterday.
7. There is no soap left in the bathroom.
8. The soup arrived before we had finished ordering.
9. We can walk there from here quite easily.
10. I have to work late again tonight.