Do NOT say the T in these 11 Common Words | It's not just Californians!

There are a lot of words  where Americans would drop a T  

sound but Brits wouldn’t. For  example, this word: Identify.

Nine times out of ten, Americans  won’t say that T. Identify.

Brits will. 5 examples of  Americans dropping this T.

5 examples of Brits pronouncing the T.

So we have identify, American and British.

If you’re trying to master a natural  sound in American English or you’re  

curious about the differences between  American and British pronunciation,  

you’ll want to know this rule about T after N.  What other words have a dropped T like this?

When a T comes after an N. What  other words have a drop T like this?

When a T comes after an N  before a vowel of diphthong,  

often, Americans won’t say that T at  all but most of the time Brits will.

I’m going to give you lots of examples  here so you’ll totally understand the rule,  

know the exceptions and start to build this habit.

The first word we’re studying is  “identify” and also “identification”.

Identification, again,  

nine times out of ten an American speaker  will drop that T sound but a Brit won’t.

American English examples.

British English examples.

Identification or identification.

The next one. Now, you may have noticed  this because it’s so common, twenty.

It’s very uncommon for an American  to say the second T, [‘twen ti].

You’ll almost always heat it as [twen I].

Twenty, twenty, twenty. British English,  

sometimes they do this but most of  the time it [‘twen ti] for them.

The next word group: wanted,  want a and want another.

Wanted. Studying speakers from the UK, I  noticed they will also drop this T sometimes.  

Often it’s a true T, wanted.

But not always. In American English  however, 99% of the time, we’ll drop that T.

[‘wan id]

The first word we looked at, identify,  had the nt plus vowel within the word.  

But this rule applies to  linking words together as well.  

Want another, for example nt vowel. Americans  will usually drop that T, Want another.

Want a. [‘wan ǝ]. Just like want to, [‘wan ǝ]

These are both examples of dropping  the T after N before a vowel.

I want a Coke. That’s want a. I want a Coke.

I want to leave now. That’s want to.

I want to leave now.  

Want to, want to, these two phrases sound  exactly the same with this reduction.

Speaking of sounds the same,  the phrase we just studied,  

want another sounds just like this phrase.

Want another, because of dropping the T.

I want another donut.

We have to love one another.

Want another

One another

I love this! Why do they sound the same?

Why drop the T? Doesn’t  that make a word less clear?

In American English, huge priority  is given to the smoothness of sound,  

the flow of sound, no interruption  and linking between words.  

It’s one of the most important  characteristics of spoken English.

So taking out, tt. A sharp sound. That stop of  air with the escape, smooths it out. Removing  

that smooths it out. And that’s how this habit  came about. Think about it. The position of the N,  nnn.

very similar to the position of T , tt.

both have the front of the tongue  at the roof of the mouth. N, T.  

So somewhere along the way, dropping that  sharp stop to smooth out the sound came about.

There’s another word set where it’s  common for Americans to drop the T  

especially in conversational English but  even in more formal settings like speeches.

Count on

Counted

Counting

Counter

Counter. This is true especially in the  phrase “kitchen counter”. For Americans,  

you’ll almost always hear that with no T.

Counter [‘kaʊn ər] Kitchen counter.

For British English, they  will say that T.

Counter. Counter.

Also the word “count”. Linking into a vowel.

Count on

I count on that money every month.

To count on something means to need  it, to rely on it, to depend on it.

Say that with me.

Count on [‘kaʊn an]

Linked smoothly to the N, no  T. Here’s some other examples.

Counted.

I counted twenty. How many did you  count? Counted twenty, two dropped Ts.

Or counting. I’m counting on  you or I’m counting on that.

Disappointed

Disappointing

Another word said where it’s pretty common  for Americans to drop the Ts. Disappointed.

Disappointed. British probably won’t drop that T.

Also disappointing. No t a  lot of the time for Americans.

But usually with a T for Brits.

Now there’s an exception to this rule.

We don’t do it if there’s a  syllable break between n and t.

Into

Entry

Antique

For example, T. Those all have that T sound.

More examples of dropping the T, we’ll go more  quickly here. But first, I want to tell you about  

a new feature here on Youtube that allows you  to give a super thanks donation to the channel.  

This helps me know what videos  you really love and appreciate  

and help support the channel. For example, I’m  currently looking to buy some camera equipment.  

So give a super thanks to your favorite video  of mine, I appreciate it so much, your support.

Out next example, “pointed”.

Pointing. I pointed out that we don’t need that.

Is he pointing at me?

Now, this example and the ones coming  up, it’s less common to drop the T.  

Yes you’ll hear it but only about half of the  time. The rest of the time, you’ll hear a true  

T. This is different from identify or twenty  where you’ll almost always hear the T dropped.

Printer

Printing

Printed

I need a new printer.

I’m printing it out after work.

I printed it already.

Paint. Followed by a word that begins with a  vowel or diphthong also painted and painting.

I’m going to paint it pink.

Paint it.

What a beautiful painting. Or, we’re having  the house painted while we’re on vacation.

Rented

Renting

I rented a car for vacation.

Do they own their home? No, they’re renting.

This is also common with “inter”words. For  example, Internation, Internet, Interview.

The internet is down.

She’s studying international affairs.

I have a job interview next week.

Accounting

Accounted

The accounting office is closed.

Everything is accounted for.

What do you think?

Do you like this rule? Do you hate it?

Have you noticed other words?

My boys are going to the dentist next week.  And I noticed myself dropping that T, dentist.

Can you think of another situation  that follows this rule of NT plus  

a vowel or diphthong where the T can be dropped?

Or an example you’ve heard and  noticed. Put it in the comments below.

Please be sure to like this  video and like and subscribe  

with notifications on for  your next English lesson.

In the meantime, keep your learning going  with this video, I love being your English  

teacher. That’s it and thanks so much for  using Rachel’s English.