U1 Pronunciation elision t and d

Elision: /t/ and /d/

Elision, heard of it?

Did you know that using elision could make a big difference to your pronunciation?

So, you may wonder what elision is.

In some words, a written vowel letter does not always indicate a spoken vowel.

For example, in ‘every’ standard British English speakers often elide the second ‘e’

E V E R Y

So instead of being three syllables, it is only two syllables, sounding much more like ‘ev-ry’.

Let's focus on only /t/ and /d/

In rapid speech, / t / and / d / often disappear when they are between two other consonants.

Listen to the examples and notice where /t/ and /d/ tend to disappear.

• Pleased to meet you.
• Our website's just been updated.
• Sorry, I didn't quite catch your last point.

An awareness of elision can help you understand rapid speech better.

Let's practice!