{"id":179925,"date":"2021-06-19T09:33:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-19T13:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/linking-consonants-to-vowels-in-english\/"},"modified":"2025-01-30T04:15:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T09:15:46","slug":"linking-consonants-to-vowels-in-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/english\/linking-consonants-to-vowels-in-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Guide to Linking Consonants to Vowels in English for Smoother Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">How can you tell apart a robot from a human?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Around 20 years ago, this question was easier to answer. When you talked to them, robots had a certain way of speaking: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hello. Human. I. Am. Happy. To. Assist. You.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were sharp pauses between each word. It sounded unnatural, like you were playing a piano or violin and had to stop before every note instead of letting the music flow.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You might not have noticed it before, but in English, <\/span><b>you don\u2019t actually pause after every word<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In fact, pauses can happen <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">inside<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> a word. While the difference can seem subtle, English speakers can hear it loud and clear. If you always pause between words, your English will sound choppy and more heavily accented.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instead of pausing, you\u2019ll have to do <\/span><b>linking<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> most of the time \u2013 letting one word flow smoothly into the other in certain cases. The most frequent type is <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>linking consonants to vowels.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Read on to find out more about this important pronunciation feature of English. Once you apply this to how you speak, you\u2019ll sound much closer to a native speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Consonant-Vowel Linking?<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Linking is when there\u2019s no gap in between words when you pronounce them. You can think of it as a marriage of words, where they <\/span><b>connect and slide into each other.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Here\u2019s an example of linking:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cCa<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> have so<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">me m<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">re i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ce?\u201d \u2192\u00a0 <\/span><b><i>CanI<\/i><\/b> <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">have <\/span><b><i>suhmorice<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The phrase \u201cCan I\u201d is pronounced as if it\u2019s only one word (\u201cCanI\u201d). For \u201csome more ice,\u201d linking also happens, and it becomes \u201csuhmorice\u201d \u2013 technically three words on paper, but no pauses in between when said out loud.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Try it out for yourself slowly right now, and you\u2019ll discover that it\u2019s a lot more natural-sounding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There are three types of linking:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consonant to consonant (\u201cso<\/span><b>me m<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ore\u201d \u2192 \u201csuh<\/span><b>m<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">or\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consonant to vowel (\u201cshape<\/span><b>s<\/b> <b>a<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nd colors\u201d \u2192 \u201cshape<\/span><b>sa<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nd colors\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Vowel to vowel\u00a0 (\u201cs<\/span><b>o o<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pen-minded\u201d \u2192 \u201cs<\/span><b>owo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">pen-minded\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Linking Consonants to Vowels in English\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Let\u2019s be specific about what vowels and consonants are first:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A <\/span><b>vowel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a speech sound produced by the free flow of air through the mouth. For example, this includes sounds such as Aaaaah, Eiiii, Ohhhh. In written form, the letters \u2018A,\u2019 \u2018E,\u2019 \u2018I,\u2019 \u2018O,\u2019 and \u2018U\u2019 are vowels.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A<\/span><b> consonant<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a speech sound that\u2019s produced by stopping the airflow in some way. All other letters that aren\u2019t vowels are considered consonants, such as \u2018P,\u2019 \u2018K,\u2019 \u2018B,\u2019 \u2018D,\u2019 and \u2018T.\u2019<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consonant-vowel linking happens when <\/span><b>the first word you\u2019re linking ends with a consonant and the next word starts with a vowel<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The two words slide into each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s a sample phrase: \u201ctravel again.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Where would you put the pause? Without linking, you would pronounce it like this: \u201ctravel | again,\u201d with the pause in between the two words.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, the proper way to say this involves linking consonants to vowels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Notice that the first word (\u201ctrave<\/span><b>l<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d) ends with a consonant, while the next word (\u201c<\/span><b>a<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gain\u201d) starts with a vowel. A native English speaker would say: \u201ctra | ve<\/span><b>la<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gain.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Aside from linking the two words, there\u2019s also a slight pause before the linking \u2013 in fact, right in the middle of the first word. You can think of this as a <\/span><b>beat <\/b><b><i>inside<\/i><\/b><b> words<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. We end up separating syllables inside a word to allow the C+V linking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The easy rule is to <\/span><b>put a small beat right before the final consonant sound<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of a linked word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Check out these additional examples:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201ckee<\/span><b>p i<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">t\u201d -&gt; \u201ckee<\/span><b>pi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">t<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201capartmen<\/span><b>t o<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">f\u201d -&gt; \u201capart | men<\/span><b>to<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">f\u201d <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">jumpi<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ng a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gain\u201d -&gt; \u201cjum | pi<\/span><b>nga<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">gain\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>\u201c<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a<\/span><b>n o<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">range\u201d -&gt; \u201ca<\/span><b>no<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">range\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Consonant-Vowel Linking is All About Sound, Not Spelling<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What about the following phrases \u2013 how would you pronounce them?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cstore is\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cmanage an\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cbottle of\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You would also link consonants to vowels for all of these!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">With linking, it\u2019s not about the word\u2019s spelling but rather <\/span><b>about the sound.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The word \u201cstore\u201d might end with <\/span><b>e<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, but say it out loud and the \u201ce\u201d practically disappears. It becomes \u201cstor,\u201d with a<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/grammar.yourdictionary.com\/word-lists\/english-words-end-with-silent-e.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">silent e<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The sound it ends with is \u201cr,\u201d which is a consonant, so consonant-to-vowel linking will still apply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s the same for \u201cmanage\u201d and \u201cbottle,\u201d both of which end with a silent e:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cstore is\u201d -&gt; \u201csto<\/span><b>ri<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">s\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cmanage an\u201d -&gt; \u201cman | i<\/span><b>ja<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cbottle of\u201d -&gt; \u201cbot | <\/span><b>lo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">f\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Practice Sentences for Linking Consonants to Vowels in English<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Try saying these sample sentences out loud:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In \u201cWhe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">re a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">re you?\u201d we <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">don\u2019t pause<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> between the first words. Instead we link \u2192 <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201c<\/span><\/i><b><i>Wher\u2019ar <\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My na<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">me i<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">s John. \u2192 \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My <\/span><\/i><b><i>nay-miz<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> John.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She\u2019<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">s a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> friend. \u2192 \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She <\/span><\/i><b><i>za<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> friend.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She sent the emai<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">l o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n Friday. \u2192 \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">She sent the <\/span><\/i><b><i>e-mailon<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Friday.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m caugh<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">t u<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">p with work. -&gt; \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m <\/span><\/i><b><i>kaw<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8211;<\/span><\/i><b><i>tup<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> with work.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Al<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">l o<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">f these files should be transferred. -&gt; \u201c<\/span><b><i>Al\u2019lof<\/i><\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">these files should be transferred.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ho<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">w a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">re you doing today? -&gt; \u201c<\/span><b><i>How\u2019ar <\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">you doing today<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">?\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He\u2019s the perso<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">n I<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2019m looking for. -&gt; \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He\u2019s the <\/span><\/i><b><i>per sonI\u2019m<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> looking for.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">These presentation<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">s a<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">re too time-consuming. -&gt; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThese presentation <\/span><\/i><b><i>zar<\/i><\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">too time-consuming.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m reading this book about productivity. -&gt;<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I\u2019m reading this <\/span><\/i><b><i>bookabout <\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">productivity.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tips for Linking Consonants to Vowels<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">1. Be aware that linking can trump punctuation\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s possible for English words to be linked together even when they\u2019re separated by a punctuation mark. Consonant-vowel linking can override:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Commas \u2192 I saw i<\/span><b>t, a<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">nd she did, too.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quotation marks \u2192 She sai<\/span><b>d, \u201cI<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Full stops \u2192 \u201cI need this ASA<\/span><b>P. A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> client is asking.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Linking across full stops is hard to see in formal situations, but it happens in very fast, spontaneous speech \u2013 such as when you\u2019re chatting excitedly with a friend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">2. Listen to how native English speakers pronounce words\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Before you can speak English well, you also have to be able to listen well. For firsthand examples, listen to videos or recordings of native English speakers and notice when they link consonants to vowels. You can even slow down the audio so you can catch it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It might even be helpful to listen to English songs \u2013 especially during the chorus when words are drawn out and emphasized. You can get started with these popular songs:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FIV73iG_e5I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cLet It Be\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by The Beatles<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=sYffFEIAzdE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWonderwall\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by Oasis<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AIYpdjQVidc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cRolling in the Deep\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> by Adele\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conclusion\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pronouncing each individual word correctly is an important part of speaking English, but it doesn\u2019t stop there. English learners usually don\u2019t notice linking unless it\u2019s pointed out because the difference can sound very subtle. Linking isn\u2019t as common in some other languages, either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although there are several kinds of linking, getting comfortable with linking consonants to vowels will instantly improve your English pronunciation. Just as notes are often connected together in music, linking allows you to speak in English smoothly and naturally. As much as linking makes English even quirkier, it\u2019s a lot easier to pick up compared to grammar rules and<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/words-at-play\/mums-the-letter-when-letters-dont-say-a-thing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">silent letters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can you tell apart a robot from a human?\u00a0 Around 20 years ago, this question was easier to answer. When you talked to them, robots had a certain way&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":739,"featured_media":249351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Speak more fluently and smooth out your speech by linking consonants to vowels in English. Read on to learn how, complete with examples and practice sentences.","title":"Your Guide to Linking Consonants to Vowels in English for Smoother Speech - FluentU"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[685,704],"tags":[],"coauthors":[208],"class_list":["post-179925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-parrot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/739"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179925"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249352,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179925\/revisions\/249352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/249351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179925"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=179925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}