Minimal Pairs: Cap vs Cup

Listen to the pairs

Tap 🔊 to hear each word. Both words of a pair play in the same voice — and after you have heard both, the pair switches to a second American English voice. Tap 🌐 to see the word in your language.

🌐 Translate to:

In each pair: left word = /æ/ (a as in cap), right word = /ʌ/ (u as in cup).

• 🔊 cap 🌐 vs 🔊 cup 🌐
• 🔊 cat 🌐 vs 🔊 cut 🌐
• 🔊 bag 🌐 vs 🔊 bug 🌐
• 🔊 ran 🌐 vs 🔊 run 🌐
• 🔊 hat 🌐 vs 🔊 hut 🌐
• 🔊 fan 🌐 vs 🔊 fun 🌐
• 🔊 track 🌐 vs 🔊 truck 🌐
• 🔊 match 🌐 vs 🔊 much 🌐
• 🔊 ankle 🌐 vs 🔊 uncle 🌐
• 🔊 drank 🌐 vs 🔊 drunk 🌐

Listening quiz

You will hear one word from each pair — choose which one you heard. Missed words come back until you get every one right.