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Spanish (Spain) minimal pairs

Minimal pairs: oso and uso

/o/vs/u/

Hard for speakers of Arabic and Tagalog, whose languages have three vowels where Spanish has five, so o and u fall together.

The difference. Spanish o is a short, rounded “oh” with no w at the end; u is the “oo” of “food”, with the lips rounded more tightly and pushed forward.

Practice all pairs

8 word pairs

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

Contrast sentences

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

  1. La chica rusa lleva una rosa. Practice
  2. ¿Qué uso le das a ese oso de peluche? Practice
  3. Me hundo en el lago hondo. Practice
  4. Ella puso el poso del café en la basura. Practice

How to practice minimal pairs

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

More minimal pairs

English minimal pairsFrench minimal pairsGerman minimal pairs