The disappearing D

Consonants between vowels in Spanish are quite softly pronounced, a phenomenon that is known as lenition. Among those is the D, whose sound is similar to that of the English D except when it is between vowels, when it is much softer, sounding more like the "the" in "them." But among some speakers, the D between vowels is so soft that it becomes silent. (Once upon a time the Spanish H was had a sound, but it eventually became so soft as to disappear in standard speech.) Although such pronunciation is viewed as substandard, it is nevertheless common in some regions. Learn more...