Which pair of words best addresses the phonological pattern of stopping of fricatives?

The phonological pattern of stopping refers to the process where fricative sounds, which involve a continuous airflow creating turbulence (such as /f/, /v/, /s/, /z/, /ʃ/), are replaced with stops, which involve a complete closure of airflow (such as /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/).

In the correct pairing, "sun" and "ton," the /s/ fricative in "sun" can be substituted with the /t/ stop in "ton." This demonstrates the stopping of the fricative because /s/ is replaced with /t/, both words sharing the vowel and final nasal sound /n/.

The other word pairs do not illustrate the same stopping of fricatives effectively. For instance, the pair "sip" and "ship" juxtaposes /s/ and /ʃ/, where both are fricatives and do not involve a stopping pattern. Similarly, "star" and "tar" shows the dropping of the initial sound rather than stopping, while "shoe" and "shoot" contrasts vowel length rather than depicting stopping, as both begin with the /ʃ/ fricative. Thus, "sun" and "ton"