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For example, in the word blindness the d and n are quite different and I find it hard to pronounce the d explicitly without making a brief pause. In normal and fast speaking, is it common to omit the d?

Phil Sweet
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oldselflearner1959
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    Simpofication of consonant clusters sometimes happens; it depends on the sounds involved. Related: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/237013/the-elision-of-alveolar-plosives, https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/259068/pronunciation-deleting-t-between-consonants?noredirect=1&lq=1 – herisson Jan 05 '18 at 16:02
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    There are cases where this elision gets reflected in orthography, as how people will write "suppose to" instead of "supposed to". – Acccumulation Jan 05 '18 at 17:32

1 Answers1

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Unless speaking very slowly and clearly, most people do not release the /d/.

The /ndn/ is spoken without moving the tongue, but the voice is first directed through the nose (/n/) then momentarily stopped completely (/d/). then again sent through the nose (/n/).

This context neutralises the distinction between /d/ and /t/; but considering the minimal pair feignedness and faintness, they are distinguishable because an effect of the voiced /d/ is to lengthen the preceding vowel a little.

Edit: and as Sumelic points out in a comment, in rapid speech the cluster may get simplified to /nn/ (with only the slightest of stops in the breath-stream between them) or even to /n/.

Colin Fine
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