Connected Speech: How Native Speakers Link Words Naturally

Have you ever listened to native English speakers and wondered why they sound so different from what you learned in textbooks? The answer is connected speech. Native speakers do not pronounce words separately; they flow together, with sounds linking, disappearing, and changing.

This post is part of our Music of English series on prosody and pronunciation.

What is Connected Speech?

Connected speech refers to the natural modifications that occur when words are spoken together in fluent speech. It includes:

• Linking: Connecting the end of one word to the beginning of the next
• Reduction: Shortening unstressed words and syllables
• Elision: Dropping sounds completely
• Assimilation: Sounds changing to match neighboring sounds
• Weak forms: Different pronunciations for unstressed function words

Understanding connected speech helps both your speaking (sounding more natural) and your listening (understanding native speakers).

Linking Sounds

When words flow together, they link in predictable ways.

Consonant to Vowel Linking

When a word ends in a consonant and the next begins with a vowel, they connect smoothly:

Vowel to Vowel Linking

When one word ends in a vowel and the next begins with a vowel, English adds a linking sound:

Adding /w/ (after /uː/, /oʊ/, /aʊ/):

• "go out" → "go-wout" /ɡoʊ ˈwaʊt/
• "do it" → "do-wit" /duː ˈwɪt/
• "how are you" → "how-ware you"

Adding /j/ (after /iː/, /eɪ/, /aɪ/):

• "see it" → "see-yit" /siː ˈjɪt/
• "say it" → "say-yit" /seɪ ˈjɪt/
• "I am" → "I-yam" /aɪ ˈjæm/

Adding /r/ (intrusive R, in non-rhotic accents):

• "idea of" → "idear of"
• "law and order" → "lawr and order"

Same Consonant Linking

When the same consonant ends one word and starts the next, they merge into one longer sound:

• "bad day" → one long /d/
• "bus stop" → one long /s/
• "black coffee" → one long /k/

Common Reductions and Contractions

Native speakers regularly reduce common word combinations:

"Want to" → "Wanna"

"Going to" → "Gonna"

"Got to" / "Have got to" → "Gotta"

More Common Reductions

Elision: Dropping Sounds

In fast speech, certain sounds disappear completely:

Dropping /t/ and /d/

When /t/ or /d/ appears between two consonants, it often disappears:

• "next week" → "neks week"
• "just now" → "jus now"
• "old man" → "ol man"
• "hand bag" → "han bag"
• "must be" → "mus be"

Dropping /h/

In unstressed words, /h/ often disappears:

• "tell him" → "tell 'im"
• "give her" → "give 'er"
• "I saw his car" → "I saw 'is car"

Syllable Reduction

Some words lose entire syllables in casual speech:

• "probably" → "probly" (3 → 2 syllables)
• "comfortable" → "comfterble" (4 → 3 syllables)
• "interesting" → "intresting" (4 → 3 syllables)
• "vegetable" → "vegtable" (4 → 3 syllables)

Assimilation: Sounds Changing

Sounds sometimes change to match neighboring sounds:

"Don't you" → "Donchoo"

When /t/ meets /j/ (the "y" sound), they often combine to make /tʃ/:

• "don't you" → /ˈdoʊntʃuː/
• "can't you" → /ˈkæntʃuː/
• "what you" → /ˈwʌtʃuː/
• "meet you" → /ˈmiːtʃuː/

"Did you" → "Didja"

When /d/ meets /j/, they combine to make /dʒ/:

• "did you" → /ˈdɪdʒə/
• "would you" → /ˈwʊdʒə/
• "could you" → /ˈkʊdʒə/

"In" Changing Before Certain Sounds

• "in Boston" → "im Boston" (/n/ → /m/ before /b/)
• "in Paris" → "im Paris" (/n/ → /m/ before /p/)

Weak Forms of Common Words

Many function words have strong (stressed) and weak (unstressed) forms:

Practice: Hearing Connected Speech

Try saying these phrases naturally:

Slow and Careful

"What are you going to do?"

Natural Connected Speech

"Whatcha gonna do?" /ˈwʌtʃə ˈɡʌnə ˈduː/

More Practice Phrases

1. "I want to get out of here." → "I wanna get outta here."
2. "Let me know if you need any help." → "Lemme know if ya need any help."
3. "Could you give me a minute?" → "Couldja gimme a minute?"
4. "I don't know what you're talking about." → "I dunno whatcha talkin' about."

Why Spanish Speakers Find This Difficult

Spanish has much less connected speech than English:

• Spanish vowels stay clear: Spanish does not reduce vowels to schwa
• Spanish links less: Words are more separate in Spanish
• Spanish drops fewer sounds: Elision is less common
• Spanish rhythm is different: Syllable-timing means less compression

This means Spanish speakers must actively learn to:

1. Reduce unstressed syllables
2. Link words together
3. Drop sounds where appropriate
4. Use weak forms of function words

Tips for Improvement

• Listen for connected speech: When watching movies or TV, try to identify linking, reduction, and elision.
• Practice common phrases: Learn "gonna," "wanna," "gotta" as single units, not word by word.
• Shadow native speakers: Repeat immediately after native speakers, copying their rhythm and connections.
• Slow down, then speed up: Practice saying sentences slowly with correct connections, then gradually increase speed.
• Don't over-apply: In formal situations, less reduction is appropriate. Match the register of your context.

Key Takeaways

• Native speakers do not pronounce words separately; they link and blend
• Common patterns include consonant-to-vowel linking and vowel-to-vowel linking with /w/ or /j/
• Many common phrases reduce: gonna, wanna, gotta, kinda
• Sounds can disappear (elision) or change (assimilation)
• Function words have weak forms that sound very different from their dictionary pronunciation
• Learning connected speech improves both speaking and listening

Complete the Series

Congratulations! You have completed the Music of English series. Review any topic as needed:

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