Linking Sounds · Part 3 of 6

Vowel-to-Vowel Linking: /w/ and /j/ Exercises

When one word ends in a vowel and the next begins with a vowel, English adds a tiny glide – /w/ or /j/ – to join them. Go out sounds like go-wout, and I am like I-yam.

🇬🇧 British English (RP / General British). Press ▶ to hear any example.

1 Watch Your Lips

W/w/ after rounded lips

If the first vowel ends with rounded lips – /uː/ as in do, /əʊ/ as in go, /aʊ/ as in how – a light /w/ appears.

go‿out → go-wout

J/j/ after spread lips

If the first vowel ends with spread lips (a smile) – /iː/ as in see, /eɪ/ as in say, /aɪ/ as in I, /ɔɪ/ as in boy – a light /j/ appears.

see‿it → see-yit

Light, not heavy. The glide is just your mouth moving from one vowel to the next. Don’t add a strong English W or Y: go-wout, not go WOUT.

Other vowels – /ə/, /ɑː/, /ɔː/, /ɜː/, /ɪə/, /eə/ – link with an R in British English. That’s Part 4.

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2 /w/ Linking

go‿out
go-wout[gəʊ waʊt]
do‿it
do-wit[duː wɪt]
who‿is
who-wiz[huː wɪz]
two‿eggs
two-weggs[tuː wegz]
how‿are you
how-wa you[haʊ wə juː]
so‿easy
so-weasy[səʊ wiːzi]
you‿and me
you-wand me[juː wən miː]
now‿and then
now-wand then[naʊ wən ðen]
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3 /j/ Linking

see‿it
see-yit[siː jɪt]
I‿am
I-yam[aɪ jæm]
say‿again
say-ya-gain[seɪ jə gen]
the‿end
thee-yend[ði jend]
three‿apples
three-yapples[θriː jæplz]
my‿aunt
my-yaunt[maɪ jɑːnt]
stay‿in
stay-yin[steɪ jɪn]
boy‿and girl
boy-yand girl[bɔɪ jən gɜːl]
Inside words too: the same glides join vowels inside a word – doing [duːwɪŋ], going [gəʊwɪŋ], being [biːjɪŋ], player [pleɪjə].
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4 Exercises

A · /w/ or /j/?

Which glide joins the two words? Look at the end of the first vowel: rounded or spread?

  1. blue‿eyes
    Show answer
    /w/ – blue ends with rounded lips: blue-wyes.
  2. the‿army
    Show answer
    /j/ – the before a vowel is /ði/: thee-yarmy.
  3. why‿ask
    Show answer
    /j/ – why ends in /aɪ/: why-yask.
  4. know‿it
    Show answer
    /w/ – know ends in /əʊ/: know-wit.
  5. pay‿off
    Show answer
    /j/ – pay ends in /eɪ/: pay-yoff.
  6. true‿or false
    Show answer
    /w/ – true ends in /uː/: true-wor false.
  7. he‿asked
    Show answer
    /j/ – he ends in /iː/: he-yasked.
  8. allow‿it
    Show answer
    /w/ – allow ends in /aʊ/: allow-wit.
  9. enjoy‿it
    Show answer
    /j/ – enjoy ends in /ɔɪ/: enjoy-yit.
  10. to‿open
    Show answer
    /w/ – to before a vowel is /tu/: to-wopen.

B · Say it

Listen, then say each sentence slowly and at natural speed.

  1. Do‿it now, or go‿out later.
  2. I‿am so‿excited to see you‿again.
  3. Who‿is the‿actor in the film?
  4. Try‿it – you’ll enjoy‿it.
  5. Say‿it‿again, slowly.
  6. We‿all know‿about‿it.
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Keep It Flowing

Gliding with /w/ and /j/ makes vowels flow into each other instead of colliding. Next: the famous British R.

Learn. Train. Use. Automate. Flow.

Next: Linking & Intrusive R → Book a lesson

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