In linguistics, syncope (/ˈsɪŋkəpi/, from Greek syn- + kopein “to strike”) is the loss of one or more sounds or letters in the interior of a word (as in fo'c'sle for forecastle) or from a phrase treated as a unit; compare elision. Linguistics is the scientific study of language. ... Look up phrase in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, see elision (music). ...

Syncope gives rise to many of the silent letters in English spelling. The traditional spellings of English place names such as Worcester and Gloucester bear evidence of syncope, as does the usual pronunciation of parliament. Syncope is the reason why Australian English is colloquially known as Strine. In an alphabetic writing system, a silent letter is a letter that, in a particular word, does not correspond to any sound in the words pronunciation. ... English spelling (or orthography), although largely phonemic, has more complicated rules than many other spelling systems used by languages written in alphabetic scripts and contains many inconsistencies between spelling and pronunciation, necessitating rote learning for anyone learning to read or write English. ... The city of Worcester (pronounced ) is a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England, situated some 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Birmingham and 29 miles (47 km) north of Gloucester. ... Shown within Gloucestershire Geography Status: City (1541) Region: South West England Admin. ... Australian English (AuE) is the form of the English language used in Australia. ... Australian English is the form of the English language used in Australia. ...

In some traditional English spellings, the syncope suffered by abbreviated forms is indicated by an apostrophe, as in didn't and I'd've. In other, similar words, it is customary to omit the apostrophe, as in gonna for going to or wannabe for want to be. The forms showing syncope, whether indicated or not, are usually marked as colloquial and not used in the most formal sorts of English. An abbreviation (from Latin brevis short) is a shortened form of a word or phrase. ... For other uses, see Apostrophe (disambiguation). ... A colloquialism is an informal expression, that is, an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Poets in some languages have employed syncope as a way of preserving a line's meter by dropping an extra syllable. In Greek poetry, syncope was the removal of any syllable in a metrical foot, while in English poetry syncope was customarily the removal of an unstressed syllable. Sometimes these unstressed syllables were slight enough that the poet would not indicate the elision ("hastening" being treated rhythmically as a disyllable), while other times the poet indicated the syncope with an apostrophe. Some such contractions have become common rhetorical devices ("O'er the ramparts we watched ..." from "The Star-Spangled Banner"). Used in speeches, they often signal a deliberate attempt to evoke an earlier time. The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A syllable (Ancient Greek: ) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. ... // Ancient Greek literature (before AD 300) Main article: Ancient Greek literature Classical Greek Ancient Greek literature refers to literature written in Ancient Greek from the oldest surviving written works in the Greek language until the 4th century and the rise of the Byzantine Empire. ... Many regard William Shakespeare as the greatest English poet. ... Rhetoric (from Greek , rhêtôr, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral or written language; however, this definition of rhetoric has been contested since rhetoric emerged as a field of study in Universities. ... Nicholson took the copy Key had given him to a printer, who published it as a broadside on 17 September, 1814 under the title Defense of Fort McHenry, with a note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ...

Another example is hea'en or heav'n used as a poetic contraction of heaven.^{[verification needed]}

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