Sound: Silent Syllables
Some words lose a syllable.
Examples
- chocolate (2)
- vegetable (3)
Key rules
- Some words lose a syllable in speech, such as chocolate (two syllables) and vegetable (three syllables)
- Listen for the reduced syllable and copy it
- Dictionaries show the common pronunciation
Common mistakes
- chocolate pronounced with three syllables → Say it with two: choc-late
- vegetable pronounced with four syllables → Say it with three: veg-ta-ble
Use cases
- Speaking naturally
- Pronouncing long words
- Listening to fast speech
💡 Tip: Count the syllables in a word aloud and then say the common version used by native speakers.