a little bit
a liddle bit
/ə ˈlɪɾl̩ bɪt/T sounds
In real speech
What happens to the sounds
The double t between a vowel and l sounds like a quick, soft “d” (flap T): a little bit → “a LID-dle bit”. Typical of American English.
When to use it
Neutral in any conversation. “Lil” is slang, mostly on social media.
Casual → formal
Slang
a lil bit
Neutral
a little bit
Formal
slightly
Sound notes
T sounds: t rarely sounds like a clean t. Between vowels it becomes a quick, soft “d” (flap T); before a consonant it can be “swallowed” in the throat (glottal stop).