epenthetic
/ˌɛpənˈθɛtɪk/
adjective
- Relating to or involving the insertion of a sound into a word, often to make pronunciation easier.
- When English speakers say 'athlete' as 'ath-a-lete', they are using an epenthetic vowel.
- Linguists study epenthetic vowels in languages like Japanese, where they break up consonant clusters.
- The 'b' in 'thimble' is an epenthetic sound that was added over time.
Synonyms