Syllabic N When N forms its own syllable

What is it?

In casual American English, when -en or -on follows certain consonants, the schwa vowel is dropped and N becomes syllabic [n̩] — it forms its own syllable without a vowel before it.

The small line under the N [n̩] indicates it's syllabic.

When does it happen?

Syllabic N commonly occurs after:

• D — sudden, garden, hidden
• T — button, kitten (with glottal stop)
• Z/S — reason, prison, listen

Examples

After D

After S/Z

After T (with glottal stop)

See Glottal Stop + Syllabic N for more on the T + syllabic N pattern.

Related rules

• Glottal Stop + Syllabic N — button, kitten pattern
• Syllabic L — L forming its own syllable (bottle, little)
• Schwa Deletion — dropping unstressed vowels