LoginSyllables
In this lesson you will learn how syllables shape word pronunciation and rhythm. Practice with examples and exercises to improve your understanding.
What Are Syllables?
As you know, words can be divided into parts, we call each of these parts syllables. In English, a syllable has one and only one vowel sound (remember, vowel sound and not letter) and one or more consonants. A particular word can have one, two, three, four, or more syllables, but it is not common to find words with more than four syllables.
Counting Syllables
A syllable cannot have more than one vowel sound, but it can have more than one vowel letter. In counting syllables, you do not count the consonants or vowel letters, we usually have as many syllables as the vowel sounds. Check out the examples:
Bus
The vowel sound in this word is represented by the letter 'u' which is pronounced as /ʌ/, so the word has one syllable.
hunter
We have two vowel sounds in this word. One is the sound /ʌ/ which is represented by the letter 'u' and the other is the sound /ə/ that is represented by the letter 'e'; so, we have two syllables.
When you count the syllables, you have to count all the vowel sounds in a word. Also, when two consonants are used beside each other and one part is pronounced separately, it means they are different syllables. Here are the examples:
Think
This word is only one syllable.
transport
This word is made of two syllables: one is /trans/ and the other one is /port/.
Vowel letters are (a, e, i, u, o). They are considered syllable markers unless they are not pronounced as vowels. For example:
Parent
Pa is one syllable and rent is another syllable.
union
'uni' is only one syllable because 'u' has the sound of /j/ and 'on' is the other syllable which starts with the vowel sound /ən/.
If the letter 'y' is used at the end of the word, it is usually pronounced as /i/ and is considered a vowel sound. Such as:
university
This word has four syllables: /uni/, /ver/, /si/, /ty/
If the word has a vowel letter that is not pronounced, it is not considered a syllable. For example:
trace
In this word, trace is only one syllable because the 'e' at the end of the word is not pronounced.
How to Divide Syllables
The basic rule, as mentioned earlier, is to count the vowel sounds. For example:
Cat
this word has one vowel sound; therefor, it's one syllable.
Made
There are two vowel letters here but only one vowel sound (letter e at the end is silent); therefore, it's one syllable.
In words with prefixes and suffixes, we can divide the syllables by separating them from the root word.
Singing → sing + ing(suffix)
two syllables
Rewrite → (prefix)re + write
Unfaithful → (prefix)un + faith + ful(suffix)
three syllables
When there are two or more consonants between the vowels, we divide the syllables according to them
Contest → con/test
Tablet → tab/let
Tip!
A word like 'mother' has two consonant letters too, but they are pronounced as a single sound. Therefore, they are treated as one consonant sound:
Mother → mo/ther
Father →Fa/ther
When there is one consonant between two vowel sounds, we should pay attention to whether the first vowel is a long vowel or a short vowel. If it's a long vowel, we separate the syllables from before the consonant. If it's a short vowel, we separate the syllables from after the consonant
Iron → I/ron
long vowel
Seaside → sea/side
long vowel
Value → val/ue
short vowel
River → Riv/er
short vowel
When the words end with –ckle, we split the syllables before –le
Tackle → Tack/le
Nickle → Nick/le
In words that end with a consonant +le, we divide the syllables from one letter before -le
Apple → ap/ple
Castle → cas/tle
Different Types of Syllables
There are two different types of syllables, as follows:
open syllable
closed syllable
What Is an Open Syllable?
When we only have one vowel letter with only one vowel sound, and it is used at the end of the word, it is called an open syllable. Check out the following examples:
so
go
saw
What Is a Closed Syllable?
A word that has one vowel letter and vowel sound but ends in a consonant sound is called a closed syllable. Here are a few examples:
task
truck
Monosyllabic Words
If a word has only one vowel sound, it is called a monosyllabic word. For example:
nice
man
Two Vowel Letters with One Vowel Sound
Some words have two vowel letters but the two letters are pronounced as one vowel sound. For example:
Three
pain
Polysyllabic Words
When a word has more than one vowel sound, or in other words, has more than one syllable, it is called a polysyllabic word. Here are a few examples:
painful
This word has two syllables /pain/ and /ful/.
happily
The word 'happily' has three syllables: /ha/, /ppi/, and /ly/.
Review
Syllables are counted based on the vowel sounds of the words. The number of syllables equals the number of vowel sounds in a word.
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