eliding

Eliding, or elision, is a linguistic process by which sounds, syllables, or letters are omitted in speech or writing. It occurs across languages and often serves to ease articulation, speed delivery, or adjust rhythm and stress.

In phonology, elision refers to the deletion of segments in connected speech, frequently affecting unstressed vowels or consonants. English examples include dropping elements in fast speech, as in fish and chips becoming fish 'n' chips, or reducing phrases like going to to goin' to. In poetry, elision is reflected in spellings such as o'er for over and ne'er for never, which signal historical pronunciation changes.

Orthographic elision marks missing letters in writing with apostrophes, producing contractions such as don't (do not), it's (it is), or o'clock (of the clock). It can also reflect dialectal speech, as in rock 'n' roll or ye olde.

Elision often correlates with informal registers and rapid speech, and it may vary by dialect, genre, and emphasis. It can affect intelligibility or formality: while common in everyday talk, heavy elision may be avoided in careful or formal writing.

Beyond language, elision appears in other fields as a general term for omitting steps or details in explanations, proofs, or data. The concept highlights a balance between economy of expression and clarity.