American Accent Training

HOME | IPA | Spelling Bee 1 | Spelling Bee 2

What is a syllable and why we should do it right.

A syllable is a part of a word that contains sounds (phonemes) of a word. It usually has a vowel in it. A syllable is also called a ‘beat’ and it is often taught by clapping the ‘beats’ in words. Another way to describe a syllable is a ‘mouthful’ of a word.

You can often find the syllables in a word if you notice when you open and close your mouth as you pronounce the word. Touch your chin as you say the word ‘elephant’. How many times did your chin drop? You probably pronounced the syllables like this: ‘e-le-phant’ and your chin would have dropped three times.

The English accent heavily depends on identifying syllables correctly. Other aspects like stress and reduction influence clarity.

Alphabet Letters vs. Sounds

Alphabet letters are useful to write words to go in books, signs and other like forms.

However, unlike Spanish, English alphabet letters have little to nothing to do with the spoken word.

Spoken language and written language differ absolutely. Whenever we use the word "letter" in these pages we do not mean the alphabet letters. We mean a sound that makes stressed syllables possible, although the sound is completely different from what Spanish speakers are used to.

Seven rules to divide words into syllables

Rule # 1
A syllable is formed by at least one vowel (a, e, i, o, u).
For example: a, the, plant, ba-na-na, chil-dren, cam-er-a.
Silent vowel sounds, like e, are not counted as vowels in a syllable.
For example: tape, like, love, ex-treme, take, blue.

However, in the words recipe and apostrophe, for instance, the final e is pronounced. You just have to know this.

Rule # 2
Divide the syllable between two same consonants.
For example: rab-bit, let-ter, buf-fet, des-sert, ber-ry.

Rule # 3
Vowel with long/short vowel sound...
a) The consonant goes with the second vowel if the first vowel has a long vowel sound.
For example: ba-sic, ro-bot, wa-ter.
b) The consonant goes with the first vowel if it has a short vowel sound.
For example: riv-er, mod-el, pan-el.
Because English is based on sounds, you have to mind the fact that the alphabet does not command the spoken language.

So, never split two consonants that make only one sound (ch, sh, ph, th, wh and gh) when pronounced together and aren't the same letter (diagraphs).
For example: teach-er, lash-es, graph-ic, pan-ther, bath-tub.

Rule# 4
Divide between two vowels that make two sounds. Diphthongs are two distinct vowel sounds, and only one carries stress, therefore one of them is a syllable in its own.
For example: di-et, di-aer-e-sis.
When two vowels make one sound consider the sound, not the alphabet vowel. These are NOT diphthongs. They can be represented by a unique IPA symbol.
For example: coat, boat, meet.

Rule # 5
Use prefixes and suffixes to separate syllables.
For example: re-turn, un-u-su-al, pre-paid, end-less, pay-ing, hap-pi-ness, un-kind-ly.

Rule # 6
Compound nouns are always divided between the two words.
For example: some-thing, cup-cake, with-out, how-ev-er, ba-by-sit-ter, class-room, break-fast, sun-flow-er.

Rule # 7
Divide before a voiced consonant, an "-le" syllable and sounds like “-el”.
For example: a-ble, can-dle, fum-ble, ap-ple, ta-ble, cas-tle. Mind the T in castle: it is silent.