let down
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: let DOWN. Saying “LET down” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
Do not release the /t/. Before the consonant of “down” the stop is held and swallowed rather than popped — the same unreleased-stop move as in hot dog. One smooth unit: “let down”.
Verb vs noun
As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is let DOWN, the noun is LETDOWN. Same two words, different beat — “to let DOWN” is the action, “a letdown” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.
What it means
To disappoint someone who was relying on you.
- “The movie's ending really let me down.”
- “He promised he'd be there and he let us down again.”
Similar: disappoint, fail