The Glottal Stop in American English

By Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, licensed speech-language pathologist

New here? Start with my free accent course, English Pro Lite: 45 video lessons.

 

What is a glottal stop?

Short answer: A glottal stop /ʔ/ is a quick stop of air made by closing your vocal cords. It is the catch in the middle of uh-oh. In American English it often takes the place of a T, as in button, can't and that way. When it replaces a T, it is also called the stop T or glottal T.

Where Americans use it	Examples
At the start of a word that begins with a vowel	oven, easy, about, interesting
A T before an unstressed N (the stop T plus a syllabic N)	button, cotton, mountain, certain, forgotten
The T in n't contractions	can't, won't, don't, haven't, couldn't
A T before a consonant, when you link words	let me, that way, outside, sit down, hot dog

My full video lesson and its transcript are below.

(Video Transcript)

 

Hi, I’m Julie with San Diego Voice and Accent, and in this video you’ll learn 4 ways to use the glottal stop in American English.

 

Other names for the glottal stop: Stop T, glottal T

Glottal stop. Glottal T. Stop T. All of these terms refer to the same sound. It’s this sound here - ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. 

 

Not the voiced part, but the part between the voiced parts. 

 

ah

ah 

ah

ah 

My vocal cords came together to stop the airflow and the voicing stopped, too. 

 

ah 

ah 

ah 

ah

 

That is a glottal stop, glottal meaning vocal cords, and stop meaning a stop of airflow. And in American English, glottal stops are very common and can be used all over the place.

 

Glottal stop before vowels

The first place you might use a glottal stop is at the beginning of a word that begins with a vowel. Say the word oven. 

 

Oven

 

Now say it slowly, and exaggerate the first sound, uh.

 

OOOven

 

Ooooven

 

You should feel that at the beginning of the UH vowel, your vocal cords were probably closed. 

 

Uh

 

Oven

 

That’s a glottal stop, and native speakers may use it at the beginning of words that begin with vowels, either when the word is said by itself, like oven. Or in a sentence, like: 

 

Turn on the oven.

 

I used a quick glottal stop between the and oven. 

 

Turn on the oven.

Glottal stop for a /t/ consonant

A second time you might use a glottal stop is in the place of a T sound in certain words, and when this happens, I usually call it the stop T.  Let’s take the word button, for example. Look at the IPA transcriptions that I have for this word. The first transcription uses a stop T and a syllabic N in the final syllable. 

 

Button

 

The second transcription uses a true T, the schwa vowel, and then a normal N consonant in the last syllable.

 

Button

Which one sounds more natural?

 

Button

 

Button

 

Native speakers will almost always pronounce this word using a stop T in the place of the T sound, and then omit the vowel and transition from the glottal stop to a syllabic N consonant. You may also like: How to Link Words Using the Stop T.

 

Button

 

This process can occur in words that have a T before an N consonant in the final syllable, and the final syllable is unstressed, like in the words:

 

Cotton

 

Eaten

 

and forgotten

 

Glottal stop in "n't" contractions

A third time you might use a glottal stop is in the place of a T sound in contractions that contain the N apostrophe T combination, and when this happens I usually call it a stop T. Here are some examples: 

 

Can’t

 

Won’t

 

and don’t

You maybe learned to pronounce these words using a true, released T sound:

 

Can’t

 

Won’t

 

Don’t

But native speakers will often use a glottal stop in place of the T sound, and when this happens I usually call it a stop T. This can occur in all contractions that use an N apostrophe T combination. 

 

Here’s what these words sound like with a true T and then a stop T.

 

Can’t, can’t

 

Won’t, won’t

 

Don’t, don’t 

Linking with the glottal stop

And a fourth time you might use a glottal stop is when you are linking two words or syllables together, and the first word or syllable ends with a T sound, and the next word or syllable begins with a consonant. Native speakers may use a glottal stop for the T sound, and when this happens I usually call it a stop T.

 

This can occur in phrases such as:

 

Let me

 

That way

 

and outside

 

The glottal stop is one of the ways Americans connect words. You can learn the others, like linking, flapping and reductions, in the Linking and Connected Speech course in English Pro.

 

Let’s practice the glottal stop in words and sentences. I’ll read each word three times, and then you’ll have a chance to repeat. And then I’ll read each sentence once, and you’ll have a chance to repeat.

Glottal stop at the beginning of a vowel

Easy

Interesting

About

Stop T + Syllabic N

Mountain

 

Kitten

 

Certain

N apostrophe T contractions

Haven’t

 

I haven’t had my coffee yet.

Couldn’t

 

I couldn’t go yesterday.

Wasn’t

 

That wasn’t my fault.

Stop T when linking

Sit down

 

You need to sit down, please.

Eat fast

 

You have 5 minutes, so eat fast!

Hot dog

 

I don’t like hot dogs.

Glottal stop or flap T?

Both are ways Americans say a T. Which one you hear depends on what comes after the T.

	Stop T /ʔ/	Flap T /ɾ/
How it is made	The vocal cords close and stop the air	The tongue tip taps once, with the voice on
When	Before an unstressed N, in n't, or before a consonant	Between vowels, before an unstressed vowel
Examples	button, can't, that way	water, better, put it on

For more on the second one, see my guide to the flap T.

Common glottal stop mistakes

• Only stopping your voice: the vocal cords have to close all the way, so the air really stops. If your voice just fades out, it is not a glottal stop.
• A true T in button: a T with a puff of air, followed by a full vowel, sounds careful and slow. Close your vocal cords, then go straight to the N.
• A glottal stop between vowels: in water and better, Americans use a flap T, not a glottal stop. A glottal stop there sounds British.

Glottal stop: common questions

What is a glottal stop?

A glottal stop is a quick stop of air made by closing the vocal cords, like the catch in the middle of uh-oh. In American English, it often replaces the T in words like button, can't and that way.

What is the IPA symbol for the glottal stop?

The IPA symbol is /ʔ/. It looks like a question mark without the dot.

Is a glottal stop a consonant?

Yes. It is a consonant made at the glottis, the space between the vocal cords. English has no letter for it, so you won't see it in spelling.

What are some examples of glottal stops in English?

Uh-oh, button, mountain, certain, can't, don't, that way and outside. Many speakers also use one at the start of a word that begins with a vowel, as in oven.

What is the difference between the stop T and the flap T?

The stop T is made with the vocal cords: they close and the air stops, as in button and can't. The flap T is made with the tongue tip: it taps the ridge behind the top teeth once, as in water and better.

Do British speakers use the glottal stop?

Yes, and often in different places. Many British speakers use a glottal stop for the T between vowels, as in water and better. Americans use a flap T there.

I hope this video helped you to learn when to use the glottal stop in American English. Thanks for watching!

I also work with students one-to-one on Zoom. See how private training works.

 

 

You'll hear the glottal stop all the time in casual American speech, so it's worth practicing. My free American English pronunciation course covers it, along with other parts of connected speech.