Yeah, I use Connections Copilot to arrange things how I think it might be, and once Iβm satisfied I enter it into the Connections to verify the solution.
I donβt see what was far fetched about it. In my accent theyβre all perfect homophones, and I canβt imagine an English accent where fur and fir or pear and pair are not.
I mean yeah I guess it might just be my brain not being wired in English. I assume you are from Australia or New Zealand so I can see how it makes sense to you.
I believe myself to be quite proficient in English yet it is still my second language and me being Slavic really does mot bode that well for thinking in English.
I usually don't think of the words in English bit translate them in my head so I look for stuff that would make sense. So pronounciation is usually the last thing I think of.