Which pair is a classic minimal pair in English phonology?

• A. Bit and Bet
• B. Apple and Fruit
• C. Car and Wheel
• D. Wind and Windy

Answer: (A)

Minimal pairs show how a single sound change can alter meaning. Bit and Bet fit this idea perfectly because they are identical in all other sounds and in the same environment, differing only in the vowel: /bɪt/ versus /bɛt/. That one phoneme swap changes the word’s meaning, which is exactly what a minimal pair demonstrates. The other options don’t meet this criterion: Apple and Fruit are unrelated words with different consonants and vowels rather than a one-phoneme difference in the same context; Car and Wheel involve multiple different sounds and are not the same word with a single sound changed; Wind and Windy differ by the addition of a suffix and an extra syllable, not by a single phoneme change in the same environment.