Spanish (Spain) minimal pairs

Minimal pairs: pero and perro

/ɾ/vs/r/

Hard for speakers of English, Chinese and Japanese, and for French and German speakers, whose r is made in the throat. The single r is a quick tap, rr is a trill, and swapping them changes the word.

The difference. For r between vowels the tongue tip taps the ridge behind the teeth once, like the tt in American “butter”; for rr it vibrates against the same spot several times.

Practice all pairs

12 word pairs

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

pero perro Practice
caro carro Practice
cero cerro Practice
para parra Practice
pera perra Practice
coro corro Practice
foro forro Practice
ahora ahorra Practice
careta carreta Practice
enterar enterrar Practice
vara barra Practice
coral corral Practice

Contrast sentences

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

Pero el perro no quiere salir. Practice
Ese carro es muy caro. Practice
La perra se comió la pera. Practice
Ahora ahorra más que antes. 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 roll your R in Spanish (rr and r)

More minimal pairs

English minimal pairs French minimal pairs German minimal pairs