How to pronounce applicants in American English
Americans pronounce applicants as A-pluh-kuhnts (/ˈæpləkənts/). The T drops out of the cluster entirely in casual American speech. Stress falls on the first syllable — keep everything else short and quick.
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Why "applicants" sounds like A·pluh·kuhnts.
In "applicants", the "t" is squeezed between other consonants and drops out — the surrounding consonants flow together without it — most natural in flowing, casual speech; in careful or formal speech, the T may be lightly present. This is called the Silent T in Clusters, and it's one of the defining features of casual American English. It comes out as A·pluh·kuhnts.
Hear "applicants" in the wild.
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Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
Pronouncing the T in a consonant cluster.
In "applicants", the "t" is squeezed between other consonants and drops out — the surrounding consonants flow together without it — most natural in flowing, casual speech; in careful or formal speech, the T may be lightly present. /t/ is dropped entirely — the surrounding consonants flow together without the T.
Inserting a vowel before the syllabic consonant.
In "applicants", the short unstressed vowel before "" disappears — the schwa is absorbed and the "" becomes the syllable nucleus on its own. Schwa is absorbed — consonant becomes the syllable nucleus.
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the first syllable, not the others. Stretch A — keep everything else short and quick.
Pronouncing the unstressed syllable too fully.
Don't pronounce the first syllable too fully. The unstressed syllable reduces to a schwa — the lazy "uh" sound — in casual speech.
Questions people ask about this.
How is "applicants" stressed in American English?
Why does the second syllable in "applicants" reduce to "uh"?
Is the American pronunciation of "applicants" different from British English?
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