Syllabic consonant

A syllabic consonant is a consonant that forms a syllable on its own, or is the first consonant in a syllable with no vowels. The symbol of a syllabic consonant is a small vertical line below (as in n̩ ). This line is often omitted.


 * Syllabic /l/: apple /ˈæpəl/ [ˈæpl&#809;].
 * Syllabic /n/: lesson /ˈlesən/ [ˈlesn&#809;].


 * Syllabic /m/: rhythm /ˈrɪðəm/ [ˈrɪðəm] or [ˈrɪðm&#809;].
 * Most dictionaries, even those that use syllabic /n/ and syllabic /l/, don't use syllabic /m/. However some people can ommit the schwa in their pronunciation.


 * Some people pronounce a syllabic /ŋ/, as in lock and key pronounced [ˌlɒk ŋ̍ ˈkiː]. In this case the small vertical line is written above the letter.


 * Syllabic /r/: nurse /nɜːrs/ [nɹ&#809;s, nɝs], letter /ˈltər/ [ˈltɹ&#809;, ˈltɚ].