Read the sentence below. Using your reading strategies, determine which two words are a minimal pair.

Question

If your computer starts spewing more smoke than a bonfire, then it may be time to look at a replacement.
a.
smoke/look
c.
than/then
b.
starts/spewing
d.
more/may

Answer 1

The minimal pair in the sentence is:

c. than/then

Minimal pairs are pairs of words that differ by only one phoneme (sound) and have different meanings. In this case, "than" and "then" differ only in the vowel sound.