Understanding syllabification

Knowing how to count syllables is an important part of writing and speaking English. Every word has at least one syllable, and words with more than one syllable can be separated to clearly show how many there are. By using a process called syllabification, you can pull apart the syllables in each word with ease. Learn what syllabification is and how to do it yourself.

The definition of “focus” in a dictionary

What is a syllable?

A syllable is a part of a word that is pronounced as one uninterrupted sound. Most of them are denoted by a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y) and can be accompanied by consonants. The number of syllables in a word is determined by the number of vowel sounds it contains, and each one usually corresponds to one beat of rhythm.

What is syllabification?

Syllabification is the process of dividing a word based on where the syllables are. Each syllable is usually spaced out with either a dash or an interpunct to show where they start and end. Learning syllabification is a helpful way to show the proper pronunciation of a word and can aid in spelling and reading. It also plays a role in understanding stress patterns in words, which is an important part of speaking many languages.

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How does syllabification work?

Familiarizing yourself with syllabification can help you spell words more accurately and pronounce them better. Here are some examples of how syllabification works:

Words with one syllable

Since there’s no other syllable to divide, words with a single syllable cannot be syllabified. Let’s look at some words with one syllable:

Cap: The word “cap” has one vowel sound, which makes it a one-syllable word.
Teeth: Although “teeth” technically has two vowels, they only produce one long “e” vowel sound.
Plate: Like teeth, “plate” is a word that has two vowels but only one syllable. The “e” at the end of “plate” is silent, which means the only vowel sound comes from the “a”.

Words with two syllables

Words with two syllables can be divided into two parts. Here are some examples of what two-syllable words look like when they are syllabified:

So-da: The word “soda” has two vowel sounds (long “o” and long “a”), making it a two-syllable word.
Break-fast: There are three vowels in “breakfast”, but only two vowel sounds. “e” and “a” in “break” combine to form one vowel sound, and “a” in “fast” makes the other one.
Rein-deer: Four vowels make up two vowel sounds in “reindeer”. The “e” and “i” in “rein” pair up to create a single sound, and the two “e’s” in “deer” form the other one.

Words with three or more syllables

After you’ve mastered the ability to syllabify two-syllable words, it gets easier to tackle words with three or more syllables. Take a look at the words below to see how they can be broken up:

Com-pu-ter: Three vowel sounds are in the word “computer”.
Mag-no-li-a: Four vowel sounds are found in “magnolia”.
Im-a-gin-a-tion: “Imagination” is broken into five vowel sounds.

Practice your pronunciation and spelling skills

Having a good understanding of how syllabification works helps in correctly pronouncing and spelling words. If you want to double-check the spelling of a certain word, you can use a grammar editing tool to make sure that you’re writing the word correctly. Browse through our writing tips and find more ways to improve your grammar and speaking skills.