What is a Syllable?
All words are made up of sounds. If you break a word into its different sounds you have the syllables.
Listen To The Beat
You can think of syllables as the beats in the words. Like the beats in music.
A word with one (1) syllable has one beat.
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| cat | cat |
| meet | meet |
| play | play |
One syllable words
A word with two (2) syllables has two beats.
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| hello | hel-lo |
| happy | hap-py |
| music | mus-ic |
Two syllable words
A word with three (3) syllables has three beats.
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| beautiful | beau-ti-ful |
| holiday | hol-i-day |
Three syllable words
Some words have lots of syllables.
| Word | Syllables |
|---|---|
| refrigeration | re-frig-er-a-tion |
Look For The Vowels
When you break a word into syllables, look for the vowels in the word. Each syllable has a vowel sound. Vowel sounds are made by vowels and the letter ‘y’.
Vowels are the letters a, e, i, o, u.
How Can Syllables Help Me?
Syllables help you pronounce words correctly. One syllable will always be stressed more than the other syllables.