German (Germany) minimal pairs

Minimal pairs: schon and schön

/o/vs/ø/

Hard for speakers of English, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Chinese, whose languages have no ö: it comes out as o or as e. Some pairs carry grammar: konnte is “could” (past), könnte is “could” (would be able to).

The difference. For o the tongue is pulled back and the lips round; for ö the tongue says a long “ay” while the lips round in the same way.

Practice all pairs

7 word pairs

Say both words in each pair. If Tono colors one of them amber or red, that is the sound to work on.

schon schön Practice
konnte könnte Practice
Tochter Töchter Practice
Bogen Bögen Practice
hole Höhle Practice
lose löse Practice
Ofen Öfen Practice

Contrast sentences

Both sounds in one sentence: the real test of whether you can switch between them.

Das ist schon sehr schön. Practice
Gestern konnte ich nicht, aber morgen könnte ich kommen. Practice
Ich hole dich an der Höhle ab. Practice

How to practice minimal pairs

Listen to both words in Tono first, one after the other, until you can hear the difference.
Say the pair slowly and exaggerate the difference. Check that both words come back green.
Say the contrast sentences at normal speed. That is where the mix-up usually comes back.

Step-by-step help with these sounds: How to pronounce German ü and ö

More minimal pairs

English minimal pairs Spanish minimal pairs French minimal pairs