Places of articulation in the context of "Assimilation (phonology)"

In phonology, assimilation is a sound change in which some phonemes (typically consonants or vowels) change to become more similar to other nearby sounds. This process is common across languages and can happen within a word or between words. For example, in English "handbag" (/ˈhændbæɡ/), the [n] often shifts to [m] in rapid speech, becoming /ˈhæmbæɡ/, because [m] and [b] are both bilabial (produced with both lips), and their places of articulation are similar.

It occurs in normal speech but is more frequent in faster speech. Sometimes the change is accepted as canonical, and can even become recognized in standard spelling: implosion pronounced with [m], composed of in- + -plosion (as in explosion).