Updated 23 October 2026

Written and checked by The Sada Team · How we check

Connected speech practice with real speakers

Connected speech is the way words join and change when people speak in phrases. Practise it by listening to a captioned line, noticing how words connect, and recording your attempt at the whole phrase.

Try one line nowIt opens on one short line: “Who has experienced a lot of stress?” Listen for how “a lot of” joins up, say it the same way, then play your take beside the original. Free, no account.

Before you start

Captions write every word in full — “going to”, “want to” — even when the speaker says “gonna” or “wanna”. Speakers also don’t reduce every time: careful speech keeps the full form. So for each line, listen to what this speaker actually says, and copy exactly that.

Linking: consonant to vowel

A word that ends in a consonant runs into the next word when it starts with a vowel: “give it away” sounds like “gi-vi-ta-way”.

“But before I give it away, I want to ask you to right now do a little audit of your body and what you're doing with your body.”
Amy Cuddy · Practise this line →

Weak “of”: a lot of, kind of

“Of” often shrinks to a short “uh” and joins the word before it: “a lotta”, “kinda”.

“So in college, I was a government major, which means I had to write a lot of papers.”
Tim Urban · Practise this line →

“Who has experienced a lot of stress?”
Kelly McGonigal · Practise this line →

“I would have it all ready to go, but then, actually, the paper would come along, and then I would kind of do this.”
Tim Urban · Practise this line →

“Something that, in many ways, I wish no one would ever know, but here I feel kind of obliged to reveal.”
Dan Pink · Practise this line →

want to → wanna

In relaxed speech, “want to” often becomes “wanna”. Notice whether these speakers reduce it or keep it full.

“So I want to start by offering you a free no-tech life hack,”
Amy Cuddy · Practise this line →

“And how many of you know at least one person that you avoid because you just don't want to talk to them?”
Celeste Headlee · Practise this line →

going to → gonna

When “going to” means the future, it is very often said “gonna”. When it means moving somewhere, it stays full.

“And she said, "Well, I saw you speak, and I'm going to call you a researcher, I think,”
Brené Brown · Practise this line →

“And I don't expect that that's ever going to change.”
Elizabeth Gilbert · Practise this line →

“If you were going to invest now in your future best self, where would you put your time and your energy?”
Robert Waldinger · Practise this line →

have to → hafta, got to → gotta

“Have to” meaning “must” often sounds like “hafta”, and “got to” like “gotta”.

“Now, you also have to learn a tremendous amount about being a parent like, for example, how to dress your child.”
Josh Kaufman · Practise this line →

“For real -- you can take a second. You've got to feel this to learn it.”
Derek Sivers · Practise this line →

The quick D for T

In American English, a T between vowel sounds becomes a quick, light D: “a little” sounds like “a liddle”, “get it” like “geddit”.

“Now, when a normal student writes a paper, they might spread the work out a little like this.”
Tim Urban · Practise this line →

How to practise connected speech

Open an exercise from this guide. Choose a captioned video for this guide’s topic and a line whose meaning you understand.
Listen and read the caption, then say the line after the speaker in Repeat mode.
Try saying the line with the speaker in Shadow mode, following the rhythm and pauses.
Record a take, then open Compare and play your recording and the original. Review words and timing; Sada does not grade individual sounds.
Repeat the line while focusing on one difference you heard, then move to another line.

For whole talks at natural speed, see B2 shadowing and advanced shadowing, or read how to sound like a native speaker. Connected speech is also one of the features the IELTS Speaking Pronunciation descriptors name: see IELTS pronunciation practice.

Practise one everyday phrase

Browse phrases by topic, each with its meaning and three real video lines to record.

Questions people ask

What is connected speech in English?

The changes words go through at natural speed: they link together (give it away), shrink to weak forms (a lot of → a lotta) and merge (want to → wanna). It is why fast English is hard to follow even when you know every word.

Should I say “gonna” and “wanna”?

In everyday speech, yes: most fluent speakers use them in relaxed talk. In writing and very formal speech, keep the full forms.

How can I practise connected speech?

Listen to real lines where speakers reduce and link words, say them after the speaker, and then say them along with the speaker at full speed, as on this page.

Start practising