non-syllabic
Lacking syllable status
Non-syllabic describes a sound that doesn't form the core of a syllable.
In linguistics, vowels typically carry syllables, but consonants sometimes do too—the second syllable in "button" centers on the n.
When a sound that could be syllabic isn't, it's non-syllabic: the y in "yes" versus the vowel-like y in "happy."
Move with effortless continuity
- semivowelConsonant articulated like vowel
- liquidFree-flowing substance
- rhoticPronouncing R sounds fully
- lateralOf the side
nasal · fricative · stop · affricate · voiced · voiceless · alveolar · bilabial
Move with effortless continuity
- semivowelConsonant articulated like vowel
- diphthongComplex vowel gliding between positions
- vocalicRelating to vowels
- schwaNeutral unstressed vowel
reduced · unstressed · high · close · lax · centralized
glide
Move with effortless continuity
- semivowelConsonant articulated like vowel
- liquidFree-flowing substance
- rhoticPronouncing R sounds fully
lateral · nasal · fricative · stop · affricate · voiced · voiceless · alveolar · bilabial · velar
glide
Move with effortless continuity
- semivowelConsonant articulated like vowel
- diphthongComplex vowel gliding between positions
- vocalicRelating to vowels
schwa · reduced · unstressed · high · close · lax · centralized
elision
Dropped sounds in speech
- schwaNeutral unstressed vowel
- allophoneNon-distinctive sound variation
- phonemeMinimal distinctive sound unit
diphthong · onset · nucleus · rime · mora · sonority · reduction · unstressed · weak · segment
syllabic, syllable, syllables, syllabification, syllabified, monosyllabic, polysyllabic, multisyllabic