Linking Sounds — Guide

In natural spoken English, words are almost never pronounced as separate, isolated blocks — they flow together in connected speech. Here are the five main phenomena behind that.

1. Catenation (Consonant + Vowel)

The final consonant of a word links directly to the initial vowel of the following word. This is the exact pattern you're practicing in Part A.

turn‿off → "tur-noff"
an‿apple → "a-napple"
look‿at it → "loo-ka-tit"
run‿away → "ru-naway"

2. Gemination (Consonant + Consonant)

Two identical consonants, or consonants with the same place of articulation, merge into a single, slightly prolonged sound — they aren't pronounced twice.

big garden → "bi-garden" (one long /g/)
black coffee → "bla-coffee"
some music → "so-music"

3. Intrusion (Vowel + Vowel)

An extra consonant sound is inserted to connect two vowels smoothly.

3.1 /w/ Insertion

Occurs after rounded vowels, such as at the end of go or you.

go out → "go-w-out"

3.2 /j/ (y) Insertion

Occurs after stretched/unrounded vowels, such as at the end of see or they.

see it → "see-y-it"

3.3 /r/ Insertion

Generally occurs after open or relaxed vowels; highly common in non-rhotic accents like British English.

media and → "media-r-and"

4. Assimilation

Two consonants meet and blend to form an entirely new phoneme.

4.1 /t/ + /j/ (y)

The combination forms the /tʃ/ sound.

meet you → "mee-chu"

4.2 /d/ + /j/ (y)

The combination forms the /dʒ/ sound.

did you → "di-ju"

5. Elision (Sound Omission)

The complete omission of a phoneme in connected speech.

5.1 Consonant Cluster Reduction (/t/ and /d/)

The /t/ or /d/ is dropped when squeezed between two other consonants.

must be → "mus be"

5.2 /h/ Deletion (Weak Forms)

The /h/ sound is dropped at the beginning of unstressed pronouns (he, him, his, her) when preceded by a consonant.

tell him → "tell-im"

5.3 Schwa Elision

The weak /ə/ vowel disappears in the middle of a word, reducing the total number of syllables.

camera → "cam-ra"

5.4 /v/ Elision in "of"

The /v/ sound is dropped when "of" is followed by a word starting with a consonant.

cup of tea → "cup-a tea"

5.5 Informal /v/ and /θ/ Reductions

Omissions common in rapid, informal verb structures.

give me → "gimme"
let them → "lemme"

Tip: use this guide while doing Part A — and try to spot these patterns in the Part B audio too.

Pronunciation & Listening Practice

Consonant-Vowel Linking and Dictation

Part A

Consonant-Vowel Linking

Instructions: Read the text below. Click on the spaces between words where you think a consonant sound links to a vowel sound to mark it with a tie symbol (‿).

Listen to Text B

Playback Speed:

Part B

Fill in the Blanks

Instructions: Listen to the audio and type the missing phrases. Click the check button (✓) next to each box to verify your answer.

A genius walks into a café and says, ' . Just ask me a question . If you can't answer my question, give me five pounds. , I'll give you five thousand pounds.' , ' .' The genius says, 'What's the capital of the USA?' 'No idea at all, here's your five pounds,' . 'Here's my question: what animal has five arms in the day and four arms at night?' , 'That's a difficult one! I don't know...' , the genius asks, 'Well, what's the answer?' The old lady replies ...