英语也曾有丰富的词干字尾磨擦音的辅音变化现象,可在以下的名词-动词词组及英语复数型态的构成中端倪出:
belief - believe
life - live
proof - prove
strife - strive
thief - thieve
ba[θ] - ba[?]e
brea[θ] - brea[?]e
mou[θ] (n.) - mou[?] (vb.)
shea[θ] - shea[?]e
wrea[θ] - wrea[?]e
choi[s]e - choo[z]e
hou[s]e (n.) - hou[z]e (vb.)
u[s]e (n.) - u[z]e (vb.)
现代英语里发生于单复数转换的辅音交替现象正渐渐在缩水,而且在下面列出的语例中,现在的许多使用者也仅剩 [f-v] 的交替能正确发出。
knife - knives
leaf - leaves
self - selves
shelf - shelves
wharf - wharves
wife - wives
wolf - wolves
ba[θ] - ba[?]s
mou[θ] - mou[?]s
oa[θ] - oa[?]s
pa[θ] - pa[?]s
you[θ] - you[?]s
hou[s]e - hou[z]es