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Linking between vowel sounds

Episode 250925 / 25 Sep 2025

Free worksheet and transcript

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How to link words together to sound more fluent

Fluent English speakers often add sounds between words to link them together. When one word ends with a vowel sound, and the following word begins with a vowel sound, you might hear a subtle /j/ or /w/ sound between those vowel sounds. But when do you hear each one?

The extra /w/ sound can appear when the first word ends in the following vowel sounds:

  • /u:/, for example 'The shoe is outside.'  
  • /əʊ/, for example 'I want to go out.'
  • /aʊ/, for example 'She won't allow it.'

The extra /j/ sound can appear when the first word ends in the following vowel sounds:

  • /i:/, for example 'I was sad at the end of the holiday.'
  • /ai/, for example 'My aunt is lovely.'
  • /eɪ/, for example 'The cafe is just around the corner.' 
  • /ɔɪ/, for example 'The boy and his cat are over there.'

It doesn't matter which vowel sound the second word begins with. 

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To do

Practise by using the worksheet on this page. The clip we heard came from episode one of the animated video series 'Bad dates' - discover the series.

Next

Learn more about connected speech in Tim's Pronunciation Workshop.

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