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Is it [lɪtl], [lɪdl] or [lɪ?l]? I think this question applies to some words with double t in them such as "rotten" "cotton" "button". (Standard American English pronunciation)

Void
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ChadThunder
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    Who are you asking? An English speaker from New York? From London? From Dublin? From Sydney? From Dallas? Each might pronounce these words differently. – Andrew Nov 01 '16 at 14:45
  • I cant specify, the most prevalent american english form that non natives are taught. – ChadThunder Nov 01 '16 at 14:47
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    Standard American English pronounces the "t" sound, and (if good diction) even enunciates it a bit. "Lit-tle". "Cot-ton". "But-ton." – Andrew Nov 01 '16 at 14:50
  • Many good online dictionaries these days provide a "standard" pronunciation in both BrE and NAmE. They are reliable. Believe them. – P. E. Dant Reinstate Monica Nov 01 '16 at 20:11
  • I've explained it in this answer. This question should be closed as a duplicate of that question so future visitors can find the answers easily. /////////// Briefly, the L in 'little' is syllabic and the T is released laterally. – Void Jan 01 '21 at 19:02
  • For me (Chicago/Great Lakes region): Button and Cotton have glottal stops for the "t" sounds -- there is no "t" as in "tin" when I say these two words. Little sounds like "liddle" where the d's are flaps followed by syllabic L. – zunojeef Jan 01 '21 at 20:23

1 Answers1

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"Button" and "cotton" are, to the best of my knowledge, always pronounced with a soft "t".

"Little" is usually pronounced the same: "lit' ul", Some people pronounce it with a hard "d": "lid' ul".

Jay
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