Glottal Stop + Syllabic N
When T becomes a catch in your throat
What is it?
In words like button and kitten, the T becomes a glottal stop [ʔ] — a brief catch in your throat, like the sound in "uh-oh".
button
→
/bʌtən/
→
[bʌʔn̩]
The schwa vowel is also dropped, making the N syllabic — it forms its own syllable without a vowel.
When does it happen?
This pattern occurs when:
- T comes after a vowel (or R)
- T is followed by unstressed -en or -on
**Note:** This is different from [flapping](/rules/flapping/). After N, T becomes a glottal stop, not a flap. Compare: "butter" [bʌɾər] vs "button" [bʌʔn̩].
Examples
Common -ton/-ten words
Longer words
How to pronounce it
- Say the first part of the word normally ("but-")
- Stop your airflow briefly in your throat (like holding your breath)
- Release directly into N — no vowel between the glottal stop and N
**Practice:** Try saying "uh-oh" — the break between "uh" and "oh" is a glottal stop. Now use that same throat catch in "but-[ʔ]-n".
Related rules
- Syllabic N — N forming its own syllable (garden, sudden)
- Syllabic L — L forming its own syllable (bottle, little)
- Flap T/D — T becoming a tap (butter, water)