Proclitic is a term often used in linguistics to refer to a particle, word, or element that is phonetically unaccented, and is attached to the following word. In other words, proclitics are words that do not carry stress on their own, but instead, attach themselves to the beginning of another word or phrase. Some synonyms for proclitic include enclitic, proclisis, unaccented, reduced, and unstressed. These words all refer to the same general concept of a word or particle that attaches itself to another word and is not emphasized in speech. Such words are common in many languages, including English, where contractions like "I'm" and "don't" are used as proclitics.