Syllabic L When L forms its own syllable

What is it?

In words ending with -le or -al, the schwa vowel is often dropped and L becomes syllabic [l̩] — it forms its own syllable without a vowel before it.

The small line under the L [l̩] indicates it's syllabic. Note that the T also becomes a flap in this word.

When does it happen?

Syllabic L occurs in words ending with:

• -tle — bottle, little, battle
• -dle — middle, puddle, handle
• -ble — table, able, bubble
• -ple — apple, simple, people
• -al — final, normal, mental

Examples

-tle words

-dle words

-ble/-ple words

Related rules

• Syllabic N — N forming its own syllable (garden, sudden)
• Flap T/D — T becoming a tap before syllabic L (bottle, little)
• Schwa Deletion — dropping unstressed vowels (comfortable)