Lesson 5: Vowel and Consonant Sound Discrimination

🟦 Introduction

Have you ever confused “ship” with “sheep” or “fan” with *“van”? These words sound similar—but they’re not the same! The skill of sound discrimination helps you hear and tell the difference between such pairs.

In WASSCE Oral English (Paper 3), you’ll be tested on your ability to distinguish vowel and consonant sounds, often in similar-sounding words. This lesson will train your ears and mind to catch subtle sound contrasts.

🟩 Key Concepts and Explanations

1. What is Sound Discrimination?

Sound discrimination is the ability to recognize differences between similar sounds in spoken English—especially vowel and consonant sounds.

It helps you:

• Understand native or fluent speakers better

• Avoid mispronouncing words

• Succeed in Paper 3 listening or multiple-choice items

2. Types of Discrimination Questions in WASSCE

You may be asked to:

• Identify the word with a different sound

• Match words that share the same sound

• Distinguish vowel sounds like /iː/ vs /ɪ/

• Contrast consonant sounds like /s/ vs /z/ or /tʃ/ vs /ʃ/

3. Common Vowel Sound Pairs to Watch

✅ Tip: Vowel length and lip position matter!

4. Common Consonant Sound Pairs to Watch

✅ Tip: Use a mirror or place fingers on your throat—voiced sounds vibrate.

🧭 Step-by-Step Sample Walkthrough

Question: Which of the following words has a different vowel sound from the rest?
A. sit
B. bit
C. beat
D. hit

Step 1: Say the words aloud

• sit → /ɪ/

• bit → /ɪ/

• beat → /iː/

• hit → /ɪ/

Step 2: Identify the odd sound

• beat is the only one with the long vowel /iː/

✅ Correct Answer: C. beat

🟨 Practice Exercises

Exercise A: Vowel Discrimination

Circle the word with a different vowel sound:

A. pool
B. mood
C. cook
D. food
👉 Answer: C. cook → /ʊ/, others /uː/

A. bed
B. said
C. dead
D. feed
👉 Answer: D. feed → /iː/, others /e/

A. park
B. part
C. pat
D. cart
👉 Answer: C. pat → /æ/, others /ɑː/

Exercise B: Consonant Discrimination

Choose the word with a different initial consonant sound:

A. zoo
B. sip
C. zip
D. zest
👉 Answer: B. sip → /s/, others /z/

A. chip
B. ship
C. chin
D. cheat
👉 Answer: B. ship → /ʃ/, others /tʃ/

A. bat
B. pat
C. bin
D. bug
👉 Answer: B. pat → /p/, others /b/

Exercise C: WASSCE-Style Sound Match

Question: Which of the following has the same final sound as cough?
A. laugh
B. love
C. rough
D. staff

✅ Answer: D. staff → ends with /f/ like cough

🔁 Recap

In this lesson, you learned:

• Sound discrimination means hearing and identifying small differences in speech sounds

• Vowels like /iː/ vs /ɪ/ or /æ/ vs /ʌ/ are commonly tested

• Consonants like /f/ vs /v/ or /s/ vs /z/ are easy to confuse but can be trained

• WASSCE Paper 3 uses this in multiple-choice questions

🪞Reflection Prompt

Which sound pairs confuse you most—like /ʃ/ vs /tʃ/, or /iː/ vs /ɪ/? Make a 5-word list for each sound in the pair. Practice saying them out loud and record yourself. How can you train your ear to notice the difference more easily?