Connected speech in English

Linking

A final consonant can link smoothly to a following vowel: “turn it off” sounds like “tur-ni-toff”, “pick it up” like “pi-ki-tup”, “an apple” like “a-napple”. The gap you expect between words may be hard to hear. Listen to the examples below.

• Turn it off.
• Pick it up.

Elision: dropped sounds

Elision means leaving a sound out. A /t/ or /d/ between consonants, or an unstressed vowel, may be reduced or omitted in natural speech. Listen to these examples; the sound may be more or less distinct depending on the speaker.

• I will see you the next day.
• We met last night.

• next day → “nex day”
• last night → “las night”
• handbag → “hanbag”
• must be → “mus be”
• friendship → “frienship”
• camera → “camra”, family → “famly”, chocolate → “choclate”

Assimilation: changed sounds

A sound can become more like a neighbouring sound. For example, “would you” may sound like “wouldja” and “don’t you” like “doncha”. These are informal approximations of the sound, not changes to the written words. Listen to the phrases in context.

• Would you like some tea?
• Don’t you know?

Intrusion: added sounds

A slight glide can appear between vowels: a /w/-like sound in “go on” or a /j/-like sound in “I am”. In some non-rhotic accents, an /r/ may link vowels in “law and order”. Listen for how the vowels run together.

• Go on.
• I am ready.

Why English sounds connected

English speech often has prominent stressed syllables and less prominent unstressed ones. Words can also connect or change at their boundaries. The rhythm varies by speaker and situation; weak forms and the schwa are useful patterns to listen for.

The schwa sound and weak forms

What learners miss most

Connected speech can make two words sound like one, blur the boundary between them, or make a short unstressed word difficult to catch. Use the meaning of the sentence as a clue, then check the transcript and listen again.

How to understand connected speech

• Learn the patterns above: once you know a t can vanish, you stop waiting for it.
• Replay one short sentence many times and write it down; then compare with the text to see where the words joined.
• Say the sentence yourself the way you heard it. Shadowing trains your ear to the rhythm.
• Choose material whose main idea you can follow, and try more challenging audio as it becomes comfortable.

Practise with B1 dictations

Practise with B2 dictations