American English Phonetics

12.6 Syllabic Consonants

The sonorants /l, n/ and, to a lesser extent, /m, ŋ/ may be syllabic, i.e. form the peak of a syllable, as in middle /ˈmɪdl̩/, wooden /wʊdn̩/, open, bacon (frequently /ˈoʊpən/, /ˈbeɪkən/ , but also /ˈoʊpn̩, ˈbeɪkŋ̩/). Syllabic /l, n, m, ŋ/ frequently alternate with /əl, ən, əm, əŋ/, as in whistle, station, prism, Golden Gate.