free variation
noun
: use or usability in the same environment by different speakers or in different utterances of linguistic items that are perceptually different but semantically the same and idiomatically normal (as using either an unreleased or a released \t\ in cat or using either \wit͟h\ or \with\ for with)
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“Free variation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free%20variation. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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