-ary and -ory endings
American English gives -ary, -ery and -ory endings a secondary stress and a full vowel, so necessary keeps four clear syllables. British English reduces or deletes it entirely, giving ness-uh-sree. The syllable count itself changes, which is why these words sound so different across the Atlantic.
Accent
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The words
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Words that lose a syllable
Chocolate, comfortable, vegetable: fewer syllables than the spelling suggests. Hear the real count.
Schwa sound words
The most common sound in English, hiding in every unstressed syllable. Learn to hear the schwa.
ER sound words
Bird, work, learn, turn: five spellings, one vowel. Hear the central ER sound in every accent.
Flap T words
Water, better, city: Americans tap the T like a quick D. Compare US and UK on every word.
Rhotic R words
Car, hard, farmer: Americans pronounce the R, the British do not. Hear both versions side by side.
Trap-bath split words
Bath, dance, can't: short flat A in America, long ah in southern England. Hear the split.
Keep practising
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