Minimal pair

/mˈɪnɪməl pˈeə/

/mˈɪnɪməl pˈɛɹ/

Minimal pair

a pair of words in a language that differ in meaning by only one phoneme, demonstrating that the phoneme contrast is significant for distinguishing words

Examples

1. But they are minimal pairs.

2. So, minimal pairs are really important, especially if you want to avoid embarrassing situations.