is homework to syllables

What Is a Syllable?

Table of Contents

Examples of One-, Two-, Three-, and Four-Syllable Words

The traits of a syllable, the 7 syllable types, why syllables are important, video lesson.

Here is a list of one-syllable words:

• ace, big, black, blonde, blue, board, calm, clean, cool, cross, dark, dead, drab, drunk, dry, dumb, faint, fair, fat, few, fish, five, full, green, heart, high, huge, kind, loud, love, odd, one, plain, prime, quick, right, rogue, rough, weak, wise, wolf, world, wry

Here is a list of two-syllable words:

• able, alive, apple, away, better, broken, city, country, daily, early, easy, even, evil, fifty, forward, freedom, future, happy, human, hungry, joyful, language, little, loving, lucky, many, music, nature, office, open, other, over, party, perfect, picture, public, pumpkin, safe, simple, solid, special, stupid, sugar, thirsty, ugly, welcome, woman

Here is a list of three-syllable words:

• abducting, accurate, adjective, animal, buffalo, cabinet, certainly, companion, conference, connection, considered, curious, customary, dangerous, different, difficult, dinosaur, electric, everything, exciting, exercise, family, feminine, general, glacier, healthy, horizon, illustrate, important, industry, innocent, instrument, internal, liberal, library, masculine, medical, musical, natural, opposite, period, personal, physical, positive, possible, separate, serious, sporadic, tropical, uniform

Here is a list of four-syllable words:

• admirable, adorable, aggravated, alligator, alternative, ambitious, derivative, annoying, anonymous, appreciate, automatic, avocado, barbarian, beautiful, belligerent, bullying, captivating, community, commutative, complicated, emotionless, eternity, everlasting, everyday, everything, forgiveness, historical, hyphenated, identical, independence, infinitive, information, intelligence, intermittent, invincible, irregular, legendary, literature, material, meticulous, necessary, ordinary, original, preposition, professional, reciprocal, relaxation, republican, responsible, secretary, spectacular, television, ubiquitous, undemanding, variable, vegetable, watermelon, worrying
• screeched, scratched, scrunched, stretched, straights, strengths

(1) Closed Syllables (Symbol: VC )

• at, bat, hen, plant, kitchen, napkin, puppet, rabbit, fantastic
• fro zen , pi lot , can dy

(2) Open Syllables (Symbol: V )

• be, flu, go, hi, she, hero, potato
• mu sic, pa per, ti ger, bin go

(3) Magic "E" Syllables (Symbol: V C E )

• bake, bone, life, pine, lifetime
• Valen tine , base ball, ex plode

(4) Vowel Teams Syllables (Symbol: V V )

• boat, cheek, eat, free, glue, green, pie, seed, team, tray
• float ing, rain fall, white throat

(5) Diphthong Syllables (Symbol: VV )

• b oi l, ann oy , b ou nd, r ai n, f ea r
• au dio, ann oy , sea trout

(6) R-controlled Syllables (Symbol: VR )

• bird, car, cart, corn, first, for, fur, her, star, yard
• far ming, var nish, cat er pill ar

(7) Consonant LE Syllables (Symbol: CLE )

• bub ble , can dle , cir cle , un cle

Books Written with Only Monosyllabic Words

• I was born at York on the first of March in the sixth year of the reign of King Charles the First. From the time when I was quite a young child, I had felt a great wish to spend my life at sea, and as I grew, so did this taste grow more and more strong; till at last I broke loose from my school and home, and found my way on foot to Hull, where I soon got a place on board a ship.

(Point 1) Understanding the syllable types is essential to teach reading.

(point 2) the dissyllabic word "learned" means well educated..

• Oh, Papa Homer, you are so learned. Learn'd, son. It's pronounced learn'd. I love you, Papa Homer. I love you too, Pepsi. Pepi.

(Point 3) It's all about the pronunciation.

• A word's spelling is often a poor indicator of how many syllables it comprises. Only pronunciation matters.
• Learned (one syllable) is the past tense of to learn . Learned (two syllables and stressed on the second) means well educated .

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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Syllables 101: What Are They and How Do You Count Them?

A syllable is commonly defined as a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound. Syllables are considered the smallest unit of speech, and form building blocks that allow us to verbally communicate. Understanding the role of syllables in words is an important foundation for improving speech and reading fluency.

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Syllables are classified into several main types depending on their structure and vowel sound:

Open Syllables

Open syllables end with a long vowel sound, making the vowel articulation clearly audible. For example:

Since vowels are not cut short by consonants in open syllables, their long vowel sound rings out. This makes words with open syllables like “mi-cro-scope” easier to phonetically sound out.

Closed Syllables

Closed syllables end with a consonant, which makes the preceding vowel sound short and abrupt. For example:

Due to the consonant ending, vowels in closed syllables like “nap-kin” have a sharp, stopped sound, as air is briefly cut off.

R-Controlled Syllables

A syllable with an r-controlled vowel is one where the r changes or controls the typical vowel sound’s duration or quality. For example:

The r consonant creates a glide or reduces vowel clarity. This alters the vowel’s typical sound, like the u in “burn.”

Vowel Team Syllables

A syllable containing a vowel team, or two consecutive vowels, blend together to make one vowel sound, such as:

Recognizing vowel teams like the ea in “leak” develops awareness of how vowels combine in syllables.

Consonant-le Syllables

A unique syllable type ends with a consonant plus -le, making the preceding vowel long. For example:

The -le ending extends vowel duration, while still counting as a closed syllable.

Recognizing the different syllable types is an important step in breaking down unfamiliar words by sight and by sound. Each syllable type has a unique impact on the vowel sound within it.

How to Count Syllables

The basic rule for counting syllables is that every syllable contains one vowel sound . Using methods like those below develop skills for accurately tallying syllables:

Here are some methods for counting syllables:

Clap Method

Clap once for each syllable while saying a word slowly. See if a partner can “catch” your claps on the beat. The kinesthetic connection and game format engages learners.

Bouncy Ball Method

Say a word aloud while bouncing a ball for each syllable. Alternate target words between students. Observing the bounces while hearing syllables connects seeing and hearing the chunks.

Jumping Method

Students jump up once each time they articulate a syllable in a given word. Combine learning with a physical brain break.

Robot Method

Prompt learners to purposely separate syllables using a stiff robot voice. Exaggerating vocal chunking helps isolate vowel sounds. Have them march like robots for added silliness!

Scooping Method

Scoop one finger across the palm for each syllable uttered. The scooping action matches articulating separate syllabic scoops of words.

Connecting engaging physical motions, sounds and imagery turns syllable counting into interactive and memorable skills practice. Make it fun and they’ll beg for more!

Syllable Division Patterns

While counting vowels establishes syllable numbers, knowing where syllables break within words requires an understanding of syllable division rules. Here are common patterns:

Prefixes and Suffixes

A prefix comes before the word’s main body. For example, re-play . A suffix comes after the main word body, like play-er. These additions often represent separate syllables.

Compound Words

Compound words fuse together two words. A syllable break usually comes where those words meet. For example, foot-ball, pop-corn. Being able to quickly divide compound words into their composite parts aids reading fluency.

When Syllables Break Between Consonants

Sometimes a single consonant between two vowels starts a new syllable, as in ta-ble . Other times two or three consonants can blend into the same syllable if they combine to make a clear consonant sound, like cam-phor . This highlights how syllables hinge on keeping consonant clusters phonically intelligible.

See the table below for more examples of how syllables break based on consonant groupings:

In some cases, the same word may have two accepted syllable breaks depending on pronunciation and dialect. Regional speech patterns and words adopted from other languages contribute to variations.


Why Do Some Words Have Multiple Accepted Syllable Counts?

While rules and patterns provide helpful guides, some words show variation in syllable boundaries. Here are some reasons why:

• Regional/dialectical differences : Certain dialects pronounce words with fewer or greater syllables. For example, across regions the word “athlete” ranges from two to three syllables based on local speech patterns.
• Words adopted from other languages : Words assimilated from other languages often carry over historic syllable divisions that may not precisely match English syllabication rules.
• Vowel pronunciation in unstressed syllables : Lightly stressed syllables may have vowel sounds reduced or partially obscured, making it debatable if that counts as a full syllable.

See these examples of accepted variations:

Activities for Practicing Syllable Division

Here are engaging hands-on ways for students to gain practice identifying syllable units:

Identifying Syllable Types

Create cards labeled with each syllable type (Open, Closed, Vowel Team, R-controlled). Hold up word cards and have students select the matching syllable type card. Categorizing syllable types builds familiarity with structural patterns.

Syllable Word Division

Write compound words, prefixes/suffixes on cards or a whiteboard. Have students physically divide words into syllables using markers or hands. Seeing and feeling syllable breaks reinforces rules.

Syllable Board Games

Incorporate syllable skills into board games, bingo cards, timed exercises and worksheets. Apply to spelling patterns, affixes, compound words etc. Games maintain engagement.

Syllable Substitution

Call out a word, and have the student echo back the word substituting alternate syllables to create silly variations. Gets creative juices flowing.

Phoneme Isolation

Within syllables have students isolate and pronounce only the initial or final consonant sounds, middle vowel sound etc. Listen critically.

Strategies for Decoding Unknown Words

When encountering novel vocabulary, what strategies leverage syllable skills?

Look for recognizable prefixes/suffixes: Known affixes provide clues, like re- start or end- less .

Break at visibly obvious divides: Compound words and between double consonants often offer syllable splits.

Decode piece-by-piece: Tackle word part-by-part rather than whole. Each syllable is a bite-sized unit.

Match to known word chunks: See if parts match known syllables or word components already learned for clues.

Equipping learners with practical skills for deconstructing multi-syllabic terms unlocks independence in tackling unfamiliar words.

Why We Don’t Consciously Perceive Syllables

If syllables serve as constant foundations for speech sounds, why don’t we distinctly notice them amid typical talking? A few explanations:

• Automaticity: As babies we learned to track syllabic chunks in speech unconsciously through exposure, so as older native speakers this occurs automatically without awareness needed.
• Blending fluency: Syllables blur together to form coherent blending when words aren’t heard in isolation. Fluent speech melds elements smooth rather than discreetly.
• Stress focus: We gravitate toward stressed syllables that carry meaning, glossing over unstressed transitions carrying function words or grammatical endings.

Still, consciously accessing this latent syllable sensitivity remains hugely beneficial for manipulating language.

Syllable FAQs

What is a syllable example.

A syllable example is “be” or “flu” with one vowel sound, or “tan-gent” with 2 syllables.

How do you identify a syllable?

Identify syllables by listening for vowel sounds when saying words aloud, then clapping/tapping each vowel sound beat.

How do you explain what a syllable is to a kid?

Syllables are like the beats in words! When you say a whole word, you can hear it break into smaller pieces called syllables. Each syllable has its own sound like an ingredient in the whole word. Every syllable has one main vowel sound at its center, like the “a” sound in “cat” or “o” sound in “hot.”

What is a syllable vs a word?

A syllable is like a beat in a word. For example, “cat” has one beat, so one syllable. A word is what you get when you put syllables together. It’s like a full song, and syllables are the beats in it.

What is a Syllable? Definition, Examples of English Syllables

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is a Syllable? Definition, Examples of English Syllables

Syllable definition: A syllable is a unit of sound that creates meaning in language. Consonants join vowels to create syllables.

What is a Syllable?

A syllable is one unit of sound in English. Syllables join consonants and vowels to form words.

Syllables can have more than one letter; however, a syllable cannot have more than one sound.

Syllables can have more than one consonant and more than one vowel, as well. However, the consonant(s) and vowel(s) that create the syllable cannot make more than one sound.

A syllable is only one sound.

Examples of Syllables in English

Some words have one syllable (monosyllabic), and some words have many syllables (polysyllabic).

New vowels sounds create new syllables.

• This word has one syllable. There is only one vowel sound, created by the “o.”
• This word has one syllable. Even though there are two vowels, only one vowel makes a sound. The long “a” sound is the vowel sound; the “e” is a silent “e.”
• This word has two vowels sounds; therefore it has two syllables. The first syllable is “si” with the long “i” sound. The second syllable includes the letters “lent.”

Open Syllable vs. Closed Syllable

There are two ways that syllables formed in English words: open and closed syllables. Here is a brief discussion of both of those topics.

Open Syllable

Examples of Open Syllables:

Closed Syllable

Examples of Closed Syllables:

How Many Syllables Are in a Word?

A syllable starts with a vowel sound. That vowel most often joins with a consonant, or consonants, to create a syllable. Syllables will sometimes consist of more than one vowel but never more than one vowel sound.

Syllables create meaning in language. When vowels and consonants join to create sound, words are formed.

A single syllable makes a single sound. Some words have one unit of sound, which means they have one syllable. More than one sound means the word has more than one syllable.

Monosyllabic Words

Single vowel sound

• This word has two consonants and one vowel
• The one vowel sound (the short “a”) joins with the two consonants to create one syllable
• The one vowel (the long “i” sound formed by the “y”) joins with the two consonants to create one syllable

Double vowels with single sound

• This word has three consonants and two vowels
• The two vowels create one vowel sound (a long “a” sound)
• The single vowel sound joins with the three consonants to make one syllable
• This word has two consonants and two vowels
• The two vowels create one vowel sound (a long “e” sound)
• The single vowel sound joins with the two consonants to make one syllable

Words ending with a silent “e”

• The “e” and the end of the word is silent to represent a long “a” sound
• The single vowel sound in this word is a long “a” sound
• The “e” and the end of the word is silent to represent a long “i” sound
• The single vowel sound in this word is a long “i” sound

Polysyllabic Words

• two syllables
• “bak”: two consonants “m” “k” plus one vowel “a”
• “er”: one vowel “e” plus one consonant “r”
• This word has five consonants and two vowels
• “grow”: three consonants “g”, “r”, and “w” plus one vowel “o”
• “ing”: one vowel “i” plus two consonants “ng”
• three syllables
• This word has five consonants and three vowels
• “ter”: two consonants “t” and “r” plus one vowel “e”
• “ri”: one consonant “i” plus one vowel “i”
• “ble” : two consonants “b” and “l” plus one vowel “e”

Note: The last “e” in “terrible” is not silent. The “e” and the end creates more of a “bull” sound when joined with the “b” and “l” than an “e” sound would normally make.

Summary: What are Syllables?

Define syllables: the definition of syllables is a phonological unit consisting of one or more sounds, including a vowel sound.

To sum up, a syllable:

• is a unit of sound in language
• joins vowels with consonants to create meaning
• will always contain only one vowel sound

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What Is a Syllable? | How to Count Syllables

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Overview of Syllable:

Introduction to syllables, what is a syllable, examples of syllables, formation of syllables, types of syllables and words, what is an open syllable, what is a closed syllable, how knowledge of syllable types helps reading, how knowledge of syllable types helps spelling, monosyllabic words, types of monosyllabic words, multisyllabic words, word stress.

Take the two sentences for instance. Peter made huge progress in his grammar lessons. Peter progressed a lot with his grammar lessons. You have probably already understood the fact that the first sentence has the word progress used as a noun, and the second sentence has the word progress functioning as a verb. If you are wondering what we are blabbering about, it’s because you are new to the world of syllables. To answer this question, pronounce the word first as a noun and pronounce it again as a verb. The noun progress has its stress on the first syllable while the verb progress has its stress on the second syllable. Syllables are an important aspect of English learning. Understanding details like what syllables are, how many types of syllables there are, how many syllables are in a word form, and so on forms the crux of syllable learning.

A syllable is a single, unbroken unit or sound of a spoken word. Often it’s when consonants join vowels that a syllable is born. A syllable may have more than one letter but not more than one sound. An easy way to understand a syllable is to think about it as a segment of sound produced with a single pulse of air from the lungs.

Here are some examples of one-syllable words:

Syllable stress in try: try

How to pronounce try: trahy

Syllable stress in Car: car

How to pronounce Car: kahr

Syllable stress in tree: tree

How to pronounce tree: tree

Here are some examples of two-syllable words:

Syllables in hotel : ho-tel

Syllable stress in hotel : ho- tel

How to pronounce hotel : hot-tel

Syllables in meeting : meet-ing

Syllable stress in meeting : meet -ing

How to pronounce meeting: mee-ting

Syllables in seven : sev-en

Syllable stress in seven: sev -en

How to pronounce seven: sev-en

Here are some examples of three-syllable words:

Syllables in happiness : hap-pi-ness

Syllable stress in happiness: hap -pi-ness

How to pronounce happiness: hap-ee-nis

Syllables in amazing : amazing

Syllable stress in amazing: a- maz -ing

How to pronounce amazing: uh-mey-zing

Syllables in holiday : hol-i-day

Syllable stress in holiday: hol- i-day

How to pronounce holiday: hol-i-dey

Syllables drive meaning in language. At the heart of every word is the sound created with the coming together of its vowels and consonants. Most of the time, it’s when a vowel joins with a consonant or consonants that a syllable is formed. It’s common for a syllable to have more than one vowel but not more than one vowel sound.

Syllables are divided into open and closed syllables based on how they are formed. Words are divided into monosyllabic words and polysyllabic words based on how many syllables are there in it. We are now going to first discuss open and closed syllables. Then, we’ll talk about monosyllabic and polysyllabic words.

To get your head around open syllables, consider words that are one-syllable long and end with a vowel. Since there are no consonants closing the vowels off, they remain open.

Formed with only one vowel, an open syllable has just one vowel sound. To identify an open syllable, look for either a single vowel standing on its own as in I or a single vowel at the end of the word like in be. In other words, this syllable ends in a long vowel.

she, me, go, a, no, so

Try pronouncing the word she for example. The word ends in a long vowel e. There is no consonant closing it, so it remains open.

A closed syllable has a vowel followed by or rather closed by a consonant. There is only one vowel and therefore only one vowel sound. In such syllables, the vowels say their short sounds most of the time.

club, king, slab, panic, basket, fantastic, magnetic

Try pronouncing the word club for example. The vowel u is followed or closed by the consonant b . Also, the vowel says its short sound.

Effective knowledge of open and closed syllables helps students with their reading. Imagine, for example, you come across the word "debt" while reading and you have no idea how to read it. If you have read about open and closed syllables, you will most likely not freak out because you are equipped to tell if the e in "debt" says its short sound or long sound. You zero in on the word and find that the e is followed by a consonant. So you come to the conclusion that it’s a closed syllable and a hence short vowel.

Being aware of open and closed syllables can help with spelling, too. Let’s say, for instance, your teacher asks you to spell the word "written". You are confused if it’s writen with a single t or written with two ts. You put whatever little knowledge you have about open and closed syllables to play. It doesn’t take you long to figure out that if you left the first vowel open, you’d say the long sound and end up writing writen . You are sure you heard the teacher say a short and not a long sound, which means the word is spelled written .

The prefix mono - means one or single. A monosyllabic word is a word with only one syllable. In other words, it’s an uninterrupted sound or single sound that makes a complete word.

Live, eat, drink

Single Vowel Sound

Take the word "ran" for instance. It’s a word with two consonants and one vowel. The vowel sound "a" teams up with two consonants to make one syllable.

Now, take the word "dry" where the long "i" sound formed by the "y" joins with the two consonants to make one syllable.

Double Vowels with Single Sound

Take the word "grain" where there are three consonants and two vowels. The two vowels "a" and "i" produce one long vowel sound. A monosyllabic word is formed when the single vowel sound clubs with three consonants.

Words Ending in a Silent E

Let’s explain this with the help of an example yet again. Take the word "sane", which is formed with two consonants and two vowels. The end-of-the-word "e" is silent so as to easily represent a long "a" sound. A monosyllabic word is formed when the single, long vowel sound joins with the two consonants.

A multisyllabic word is a word with more than one syllable. This can be two, three, four, or more syllables.

Two-Syllable Words or Disyllabic Words:

Number of syllables: 2

The two syllables are: Christ-mas

The stressed syllable is: Christ -mas

The word is pronounced: Krist-mas

Three-Syllable Words or Trisyllabic Words:

Number of syllables: 3

The three syllables are: a-part-ment

The stressed syllable is: a- part -ment

The word is pronounced: u-pahrt-ment

Four-Syllable Words or Tetrasyllabic Words:

Number of syllables: 4

The four syllables are: ac-cu-ra-cy

The stressed syllable is: ac -cu-ra-cy

The word is pronounced: ak-yer-uh-see

At this syllable hour, we must talk a little bit about if not expound on what word stress is. Word stress is the idea that while pronouncing a word (a word that has more than one syllable), we don’t stress or accent every syllable in it the same way. One of the syllables (sometimes more than one) is always more stressed or accented. In other words, some syllables – the ones that are stressed – sound longer and louder. Often, they’re said at a higher pitch, too. The rest of the syllables will be unstressed or unaccented.

There are two syllables in breakfast – break-fast. While the first syllable break is stressed, the second one fast is unstressed.

There are three syllables in beautiful – beau-ti-ful. The first syllable beau is stressed. The other two are not stressed.

There are three syllables in tomorrow –to-mor-row. The second syllable mor is stressed and the other two are unstressed.

Hone your skills using our free printable Syllables Worksheets .

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Home » What is a Syllable in English | Types and Examples

What is a Syllable in English | Types and Examples

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word containing a single vowel sound and may include consonant sounds before or after the vowel. Understanding syllables is important for various aspects of language, including pronunciation, spelling, and reading. It helps us pronounce words correctly, break words into manageable parts, and improve our spelling and reading skills. Here’s all you need to know about syllables:

What is a Syllable?

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word. It consists of one or more letters pronounced together as a single, uninterrupted sound. In English, a syllable typically contains a vowel sound and may also include consonant sounds that come before or after the vowel. Words can be made up of one or more syllables, and the way syllables are divided within a word can affect its pronunciation and meaning. Syllables are the building blocks of words and are important for pronunciation, spelling, and understanding the structure of words.

For example:

• “Cat” has one syllable, pronounced /kat/.
• “Water” has two syllables, pronounced /waw-ter/.
• “Banana” has three syllables, pronounced /ba-nan-a/.

Components of Syllable

A syllable, in simple terms, has two main components:

• Vowel Sound: Every syllable has at least one vowel sound. It’s the part of the syllable where you hear the “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” “u,” or sometimes “y” sound in a word. For example, in the word “cat,” the vowel sound is the “a.”
• Optional Consonant Sounds: Syllables can also have consonant sounds before or after the vowel sound. These are the other letters or sounds that accompany the vowel. In “cat,” the consonant sound before the vowel is “c,” and after the vowel is “t.”

Types of Syllables with Examples

Here are some basic types of syllables:

Open Syllables:

These syllables end with a vowel sound and do not have a consonant sound following the vowel. For example, “be” and “go.”

Closed Syllables:

Closed syllables end with one or more consonant sounds following the vowel. For example, “cat” and “dog.”

Vowel-Consonant-e (VCE) Syllables:

These syllables consist of a vowel followed by a consonant and then a silent “e.” The silent “e” changes the sound of the preceding vowel. For example, “cake” and “bone.”

Consonant-Vowel (CV) Syllables:

These syllables have a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound, like “me” and “so.”

Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) Syllables:

These syllables have a consonant sound followed by a vowel sound and then another consonant sound. For example, “cat” and “dog.”

Schwa Syllables:

The schwa is a very short, neutral vowel sound that occurs in unstressed syllables. It is often represented by the letter ‘a’ as in “sofa” or ‘e’ as in “bottle.”

• a’bove (uh-BOVE)
• veg’etable (VEJ-tuh-buhl)
• ac’cent (uhk-SENT)
• col’umn (kuh-LUHM)
• com’fortable (KUHM-fur-tuh-buhl)
• doc’ument (DAHK-yuh-muhnt)
• gov’ernment (GUHV-ern-muhnt)
• ev’ery (EV-uh-ree)
• or’ange (UHR-angj)
• sig’nificant (sig-NIF-uh-kuhnt)

Complex Syllables:

Some syllables may have combinations of the above types, making them more complex. For example, “happily” has a closed syllable “hap,” followed by an open syllable “pi,” and ending with a vowel-consonant-e syllable “ly.”

• Conspire – con-spire
• Hospital – hos-pi-tal
• Apartment – a-part-ment
• University – u-ni-ver-si-ty
• Exhale – ex-hale
• Animal – an-i-mal
• Realize – re-a-lize
• Dialogue – di-a-logue
• Fabricate – fab-ri-cate
• Necessary – ne-ces-sa-ry

Stressed and Unstressed Syllable:

In many words, especially longer ones, some syllables are pronounced with more emphasis (stressed), while others are pronounced more lightly (unstressed). For example, the word “syllable” has stress on the first syllable (SYL), and the second syllable “la” and the last syllable “ble” are unstressed and pronounced quickly and quietly.

• CHOC-o-late
• im-POR-tant
• BEAU-ti-ful

Why syllables are important?

• Syllables are important because they are the building blocks of words.
• They help you say words correctly, breaking them into smaller parts that are easier to pronounce.
• Understanding syllables can make it easier to learn new words. When you know how to break a word into syllables, it becomes simpler to recognize and remember its meaning.
• Understanding syllables can help with spelling. You can spell a word more accurately when you know how many syllables it has.
• When you know how to break words into syllables, you can write more clearly and avoid spelling mistakes.
• Learning syllables can improve your speaking fluency, as it helps you speak more smoothly and naturally.
• Recognizing syllables helps improve reading fluency as it enables learners to decode longer and unfamiliar words and understand their pronunciation.
• Syllables help you understand where to put emphasis when speaking, For example, in “RE-cord” (noun), the stress is on the first syllable, but in “re-CORD” (verb), the stress is on the second syllable. Understanding syllables helps you convey the right meaning through correct stress placement.

How to identify syllables?

Here are some basic points for identifying syllables:

• Listen: Pay attention to the sounds in a word.
• Count: Identify each separate beat or sound in the word.
• Vowels: Focus on vowels (A, E, I, O, U, Y) as they often form the nucleus of syllables.
• Consonants: Look for consonants that surround the vowels within a word.
• Clapping: Clap your hands or tap your fingers to mark each syllable.
• Practice: Practice syllable counting with different words to improve your skills.
• Divide Carefully: Split the word where it naturally breaks into sounds.

Examples of Syllable:

• Cat: One syllable (kat)
• Elephant: Three syllables (el-e-phant)
• Happiness: Three syllables (hap-pi-ness)
• Universe: Three syllables (u-ni-verse)
• Watermelon: Four syllables (wa-ter-mel-on)
• Computer: Three syllables (com-pu-ter)
• Water: “wa-ter” (2 syllables)
• Examination: Four syllables (ex-am-i-na-tion)
• Breakfast: Two syllables (break-fast)
• Incredible: Four syllables (in-cred-i-ble)
• Hospital: Three syllables (hos-pi-tal)
• Delightful : Three syllables (De-light-ful).
• Interesting : Four syllables (In-ter-est-ing).
• Refrigerator : Five syllables (Re-frig-er-a-tor).
• Unbelievable : Five syllables (Un-be-liev-a-ble)

Q1: What is a syllable?

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word that contains a single vowel sound and may include one or more consonants.

Q2: Why are syllables important?

Syllables are important for pronunciation, spelling, and reading. They help us break words into manageable parts, improve our pronunciation, and understand word structure.

Q3: How do you count syllables in a word?

You can count syllables by listening for the beats or rhythm in a word, clapping or tapping for each beat, and looking for vowel sounds surrounded by consonants.

Q4: What is the difference between open and closed syllables?

An open syllable ends with a vowel sound (e.g., “go” or “hi”), while a closed syllable ends with a consonant sound (e.g., “cat” or “sit”).

Q5: Do syllables affect word stress and pronunciation?

Yes, the number and placement of syllables in a word can influence word stress and pronunciation. Stressed syllables are typically pronounced more prominently than unstressed ones.

Q6: Give examples of one-syllable words?

Examples of one-syllable words include “dog,” “cat,” “pen,” and “sit.”

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6 Syllable Types: Why You Need to Teach Them

Syllables are a key building block of the English language and are an important part of strong phonics instruction. There’s a whole lot more to syllables than just clapping out how many a word has and moving on. Understanding the 6 syllable types and using them to help read and write helps the English language make sense. This post will cover what syllables are and why syllables are important. In the next two posts, we’ll dive into the basics of each syllable type and how the heck to teach ’em.

This is post 4 in my series Phonics Rules for Teachers (and How the Heck to Teach ‘Em ). If you’d like to see previous posts, you can click here.

Would you rather listen or watch? Find a podcast version of this blog post or watch the video below.

A Quick Phonics Review

This is post 4 in my series Phonics Rules for Teachers (and how the heck to teach ’em) . So far we’ve covered why you need to teach phonics , letter names and sounds , and consonants and vowels . If you missed any of those posts, feel free to take a look. Otherwise, let’s dive right into todays topic: Why do we need to teach syllables and syllable types, and how do we do it?

What is a Syllable?

Let’s start by answering the question, “What is a syllable?” My favorite definition for adults comes from Uncovering the Logic of English which says, “a syllable is an uninterrupted segment of sound which is formed by the opening and closing of the mouth to form vowels.” Quick recap from last time- vowel sounds are produced when the mouth is wide open with no blockage. Consonants are sounds that are block in some way by the lips, teeth, and tongue. So, essentially, syllables are when we open and close our mouths as we produce vowel sounds . Cool, right?

However, that explanation might be a bit too complex for students. So, when explaining what a syllable is, we can explain it to students this way. A syllable is a beat in a word. English is a language with rhythm, and syllables help to form that rhythm. We should explain that each syllable has one vowel sound (not one vowel letter , one vowel sound ). If you’re rusty on this, you can read more about letters vs sounds here . Every word in English is made up of at least one syllable, which means every English word, must have at least one vowel sound.

Let’s look at some examples. The word “pot” is a one syllable word, and it has one vowel sound- /o/. Let’s look at a slightly more complex word- train. Train is also a one syllable word. It also has one vowel sound- /ā/ which is represented by the letters ai. Even though there are 2 vowel letters, there is only 1 vowel sound.

How can we determine syllables in words orally?

When I was in school, I was taught to clap out syllables, but that was as far as my syllable education went. While we do what to go farther than that, determining the number of syllables is the first step to understanding syllable types. Here are 4 simple ways to determine how many syllables a word has.

• Clap it- You are probably familiar with clapping to determine the syllables in a word. If you clap for every beat of the word banana, you’ll clap 3 times.
• Chin drops- Since a syllable is produced when we open and close our mouths, you can put your hand flat under your chin and count how many times your chin drops to determine how many syllables a word has. I find students need to exaggerate when they say a word for this method to work.
• Tap it- This is one of my favorite methods. Instead of clapping, I have my students tap one finger for each syllable on their chin, and then leave their fingers up. Then, the number of syllables is right on their hand. So, for banana, they would put their pointer finger for ba. then their middle finger for na (pointer finger is still up also), and then ring finger for na (so three fingers are up). This saves them from having to remember how many claps.
• Hum it- When we hum a word, we’re humming the vowels. This means, when we hum a word, we’re also humming the syllables. So, you can hun a word (go ahead and try it with banana) to see how many syllables a word has.

Before we go on, a common thing that student can confuse is the idea of sounds and syllables. A sound is a singular unit- /sh/, /p/, /j/, /o/. A syllable is made up of one more more sounds. A lot of modeling and practice makes these distinctions easier. It’s also helpful to use different movements to count each, and do so consistently.

Why should our students learn about syllables?

I absolutely love syllables (so much so that I’ve written about them not 1 , not 2 , but 3 times previously). Understanding syllable types makes both decoding and encoding so much easier. It helps students break down the code of the English language.

If students understand the syllable types and the rules that accompany them, they’re able to decode new or uncommon words much easier. It also makes it easier to recall the spelling of words when they’re writing and check to see if their writing makes sense.

You see, once students understand each of the syllable types, they will be able to decode a huge percentage of the English language effectively. While understanding the 6 syllable types isn’t the only skill students need, it is a big piece of the puzzle. Understanding the differences between taping, tapping, hoping, hopping, cuter, and cutter comes down to knowledge of syllable rules (whether you were explicitly taught them or you just “figured it out”. However, we don’t want our students to just “figure it out. We want them to confidently look at “gave” and “have” and know why one has a long vowel sound and one is short. We want them to know why “no” has a long vowel sound and “not” a short vowel sound. And we can give them the gift of this knowledge by teaching them the 6 syllable types.

In my next post, I’ll cover the basics of each of the 6 syllable types, and we’ll delve into the best part after that: how the heck to teach ’em.

Would you like resources to help you teach phonics to your students? You can find my “How the Heck to Teach ‘Em” supplementary resource here . This is a growing resource with teacher cheat sheets and student visuals to help teach all of the concepts we cover in this series.

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• Phonics Rules for Teachers

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Breadcrumbs

Understanding Syllabification

What is syllabification?

Syllabification is the process of dividing words into smaller units called syllables. A syllable is a unit of sound that typically contains a vowel sound and may or may not be accompanied by consonant sounds.

Here's how syllabification works:

Identifying vowel sounds: The first step in syllabification is identifying the vowel sounds in a word. Vowels are the letters A, E, I, O, U, and sometimes Y. Each vowel sound usually forms the nucleus of a syllable.

Grouping consonant sounds: Consonant sounds that come before or after a vowel sound are grouped with that vowel to form a syllable. However, some consonant combinations may belong to different syllables depending on the language and pronunciation rules.

Counting syllables: Once you've identified the vowel sounds and grouped the consonants, you can count the number of syllables in the word. Each unit of sound, containing at least one vowel sound, represents one syllable.

For example, let's syllabify the word "watermelon".

"wa-ter-mel-on"

In this word, there are four syllables: "wa," "ter," "mel," and "on."

Why is syllabification important to learn?

Syllabification is important to learn for several reasons:

Reading skills: Understanding syllables helps students break down words into smaller, more manageable parts. This skill is crucial for developing strong reading skills, as it enables students to decode unfamiliar words more easily.

Spelling skills: Syllabification is closely tied to spelling. Knowing how to break words into syllables helps students understand the patterns and structures of words, which in turn improves their spelling abilities.

Vocabulary development: Learning about syllables can enhance children's vocabulary development. When students understand syllables, they can more easily learn new words by recognizing familiar syllable patterns in unfamiliar words. This knowledge allows them to make connections between words and expand their vocabulary more effectively.

Speech and pronunciation: Syllabification can also improve children's speech and pronunciation skills. By learning to identify and produce syllables correctly, students develop clearer articulation and speech patterns. This is particularly important for kids who may struggle with speech difficulties or have accents that differ from the language they are learning.

How can we teach students syllabification?

Here's a step-by-step approach to teach students syllabification

Start with clapping

Begin by clapping out the syllables in simple words. For example, say a word like "cat" and clap once for each syllable: "cat" (clap). Then, move on to words with more syllables like "elephant" and clap three times: "el-e-phant" (clap, clap, clap).

Use visual aids

Visual aids can help reinforce the concept of syllables. You can create flashcards with words on them and draw lines between the syllables to visually represent how the word is broken down. For example, write "butterfly" and draw lines like this: "but-ter-fly."

Turn syllabification into a game. You can have a syllable scavenger hunt where kids search for objects with a certain number of syllables in their names. You can also play "Syllable Bingo," where kids mark off squares on a bingo card with words of different syllable counts as you call them out.

There are many songs and chants that can help kids understand syllabification. You can create simple tunes or find existing ones online that help kids practice clapping out the syllables in words.

Practice with tongue twisters

Tongue twisters are not only fun but also great for practicing syllabification. Start with simple tongue twisters and gradually move on to more complex ones. Encourage kids to clap out the syllables as they say the tongue twister.

Use everyday examples

Point out syllables in everyday words and phrases. For example, when you're in the kitchen, you can point to objects like "cupcake" and break it down into syllables: "cup-cake."

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The 6 (or 7) Syllable Types: What They Are, Why They Matter, And When To Teach Them!

• February 23, 2019

The English language is a little crazy.

I mean, just read these words: through, tough, though, thought . Same spelling pattern, four different sounds! ?

But. As weird as our language can be, it’s also predictable and consistent in many ways. In fact, did you know that there are only 6 different types of syllables in English words?

Yup, only 6! (Or 7….but I’ll get to that later.) My point is that there REALLY AREN’T THAT MANY!

Why do the syllable types matter to us, as primary teachers? Because it’s essential that our students understand how English sound and spelling patterns work, and syllables are a big part of that.

Plus, knowing the 6 syllable types….

• Helps kids divide words into syllables to decode them or write them
• Helps kids predict the sound a vowel makes
• Makes it much easier to break up multisyllabic words

In this post (which is part of my blog series about teaching phonics ), I’ll explain what the six syllable types are and when you might teach them to your students.

This post is relevant for first grade and up!

Okay, hang on. Before we get into the syllable types, let me define the word “syllable” for you:

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound.

Words can be made up of one syllable (i.e. chair) or several syllables (i.e. rhi/noc/er/os).

Syllable Type #1: Closed Syllable

What it is: A closed syllable is a syllable that ends with a consonant. The vowel has a short sound.

Word examples:

• hat (ends with a consonant, t, and has a short a sound)
• pigpen (this word has two closed syllables, “pig” and “pen,” both with short vowels -> pig/pen)

When to teach it: I usually teach this toward the beginning of first grade. Students should have lots of experience with CVC words. You can introduce 2-syllable words with 2 closed syllables (like “sunset” or “bathtub”) and explain what a closed syllable is. (By the way, in the “bathtub example, the division is bath/tub. Even though the first syllable technically ends with t AND h, they’re a digraph and therefore make one consonant sound, /th/.)

Syllable Type #2: Open Syllable

What it is: An open syllable has one vowel and is NOT “closed in” by a consonant. The vowel is “free to shout its name” (it’s a long vowel).

• me (no consonant at the end; the vowel is long and “says its name”)
• robot (the first syllable is “ro” and is open; the second syllable is closed -> ro/bot)

When to teach it: It works well if you teach the concept of an open syllable along with or shortly after teaching closed syllables. Again, the beginning of first grade is ideal for this – but you can also cover this concept at the end of Kindergarten if you’re introducing long vowel sounds. Words like “we” and “me” are great examples to use with Kinders, since they probably already know them by sight.

Syllable Type #3: Silent / Magic / Sneaky E / VCE

What it is: Whatever you wanna call it, the VCE (vowel-consonant-e) syllable type has a silent e at the end and a long vowel sound!

• bike (the silent e makes the i “say its name” – aka gives it a long vowel sound)
• mistake (the first syllable is “mis” and is closed; the second syllable is VCE -> mis/take)

When to teach it: This is a good concept to address during first grade, after students know their short and long vowel sounds. They should be familiar with the concepts of open and closed syllables. When you teach this syllable type, you can have students practice changing closed syllables to VCE syllables (i.e. taking “rid” and turning into “ride”).

Syllable Type #4: Vowel Team Syllable

What it is: A vowel team syllable usually contains two vowels that come together to make one long vowel sound. I also call patterns like “igh” vowel teams, so Some people divide up this syllable type into vowel digraphs and vowel diphthongs for a total of 7 syllable types.

Word examples:

• steam (the vowel team is the e and the a coming together to make the long e sound)
• soapbox (the first syllable is “soap” and has the vowel team “oa;” the second syllable is closed)

When to teach it: I usually teach this in first grade – after students are very comfortable with open and closed syllables, as well as silent e. I always have to review this in second grade, too.

Syllable Type #5: R-Controlled Syllable

What it is:  In an r-controlled syllable, the letter “r” follows a vowel. The vowel doesn’t make a short OR long sound – rather, it’s “controlled” or “influenced” by the r and makes a different sound altogether.

• star (the a is controlled by the r)
• lobster (the first syllable is “lob,” a closed syllable, and the second syllable is “ster,” an r-controlled syllable -> lob/ster)

When to teach it: I teach this in first grade. I feel like it’s a toss-up between r-controlled syllables and vowel team syllables – either concept can be taught after kids learn open syllables, closed syllables, and silent e. I definitely review this concept in 2nd grade. And there are some more complex r-influenced spelling patterns that can be covered in later grades.

Syllable Type #6: Consonant-L-E Syllable

What it is: In a CLE syllable, a consonant + the letters “l” and “e” come at the end of the syllable.

• table (the first syllable is “ta,” an open syllable, and the second syllable is “ble,” a CLE syllable)
• example (ex/am/ple – the first two syllables are both closed, and the last syllable, “ple,” is a CLE syllable)

When to teach it: This is usually the last syllable type that I teach, and we typically address it in second grade.

If you didn’t know about the 6 syllable types until you read this post, you’re not alone!! I didn’t learn about this in my undergraduate education program, nor in my reading specialist master’s program! I learned this stuff after becoming a teacher and even after becoming a reading specialist – but boy, it sure has made teaching phonics easier!

If you’re looking for more support in teaching syllable types to your students, check out the resource below. This will walk you and your kids, step-by-step, through the entire process.

1st grade teachers will likely progress through the lessons slowly, spreading them out throughout the entire year. 2nd grade and up may be able to progress more quickly. But either way, you can match this mini-program to ANY phonics or reading program that you use!

If you don’t need lesson plans and syllable activities but you do want some practice activities for your students, check out my digital Boom cards.

These activities give your students practice with identifying syllable types AND dividing words up into syllables.

The games also include audio directions that explain the syllable types and division rules!

To learn more about how to actually divide words up into syllables, check out this post .

Happy teaching!

Related Posts:

Thank you! My credential program was Whole Language and I did not learn any of this!

I’m so glad this was helpful, Leslie!!

WOW, how useful is this??? Many thanks for ypur post

Wow!! This is so helpful! And I am just learning about this now! This was a little hidden treasure for me, thank you so much for sharing:)

The reason diphthongs and Vowel teams are different syllable types: 1. With vowel teams you have the long vowel sound. It is a familiar sound that studnets know when say: vowel team, ai says a, cause the first one does the talking… etc. AND they are made of 2 vowels. 2. Dipthongs MOST of the time make a new sound that is NOT a long or short vowel and they are not a always a team of vowels. OW- not a team of vowels, so it should not be coded as a vowel team- says /ou/ in cow and /o/ …  Read more »

Makes perfect sense, esp. with the w! Thanks for sharing!

So helpful, Alison! I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and never had this spelled out for me somehow; thanks so much!

Hey Jenni! So glad it was helpful! Thanks for reading! 🙂

Is this in a cheat sheet anywhere? Thanks for the info!

Hey! I don’t have it in a cheat sheet, but there’s a “print” option at the bottom of the post where you can make it a PDF. 🙂

Do you have a printable chart for these with examples?? 🙂

Yes! I’ll be sharing that during my free webinar! 🙂 https://events.genndi.com/register/169105139238453707/369c365d3a?_ga=2.24247930.1173074121.1551910137-1784204218.1545942850

Thank you Allison!

This makes so much sense! Thanks for the clarity and examples!

You’re so welcome!! Glad this helped!!

All I can say is why didn’t they teach this the way you explain it? In a way that makes sense.This is truly remarkable! Thank you so much!

I’m so glad this helps!! 🙂

I’ve always wondered why the word “have” has a short vowel sound, but “behave” has a long a sound. Is this just an exception to the rule, or did spelling change over time with English while the pronunciation stayed the same (like with “gh” having different pronunciations depending on the word as you mentioned)?

Hey Lauren, such a good question!! I’m not sure myself, but I’m guessing that it has to do with pronunciations changing over time. The beginning of the Words Their Way book has some interesting stuff about the historical changes of vowels and other sounds.

Awesome and Amazing

Thankyou!!! I just started as an aide in Special Ed…I need a crash course in this. You explain it all beautifully. I will be devouring your website. You had me at “I didn’t know this stuff either!!!” And to think I have a journalism degree and worked as a copy editor!!!

Oh good!! I’m so glad this was helpful!! 🙂 Good luck with your new position!

Thank you for this lesson. I used this with my 6 year old today and it was so helpful.

Hi Eva! I am so glad that you found this helpful!😄

Awesome explanation! It seems that syllable patterns are rarely taught and I feel the main reason is many teachers are unaware of its importance.

Do you notice primary students having trouble remembering all the rules?

Thank you, Brandon! I do believe that teaching the syllable types is SUPER important! I’ve found that with primary students that the more they are exposed to the different syllable types, the better they are at remembering them. I make it a point to constantly review the rules (both in and out of context of explicit phonics instruction). For example, during a shared reading lesson, I may point out a word that I feel that students may struggle with and we would discuss how the syllable type helps us sound out the word.

Provided useful info for my adult Ed class. Thank You

That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing!

Thanks for the amazing short lesson.

You’re welcome!!

Thank you very much. I really appreciate your job.

Glad to hear!

I have seen other resources that distinguish 7 syllable types. The distinction they make is between vowel teams (ea, oa, etc.) and diphthongs (oy, ow, etc.): one vowel sound overpowers the other vs. both vowels create a new sound. Can you comment on this please?

Hey Heather! I don’t think there’s a right/wrong answer here. Diphthongs are just a type of vowel team!

Your website is amazing, congratulations. For the first time I was able to clearly understand the rules for separating syllables and pronouncing vowels correctly. As a Brazilian, I came to the conclusion that I needed to understand how children learn to pronounce words in order to correct my pronunciation in American English. The comments are also very interesting. It’s American educators giving their opinions, and for the first time I saw why words ending in “ve”, like love, are an exception to the “magic e” rule. Thanks to Smith for the explanation. I should have seen these rules before starting …  Read more »

This is so wonderful to hear! And congrats to YOU for all that you’ve accomplished 🙂

A great post. I everything is clearly understood. Thank you so much

Absolutely!!

I’m Alison, a literacy specialist. I love getting kids excited about reading and writing – and sharing teaching ideas with other teachers!

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Syllable Worksheets

Here's a collection of syllable worksheets for teachers and homeschool families.  Use these worksheets to teach how and where to divide words into syllables.

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Analogies help word association skills and teach critical thinking.  example:  Milk is to cup as spaghetti is to plate.

Use these worksheets to teach kids to recognize and work with compound words.

Practice putting periods, question marks, commas, and quotation marks in the correct places.

Images of Worksheets

PDF with answer key:

PDF no answer key:

Syllables Worksheets

Six ready-to-go sets of PDF worksheets that help pre-intermediate learners recognize syllables and understand their role in English pronunciation.

• Syllables Worksheets Set 1
• Syllables Worksheets Set 2
• Syllables Worksheets Set 3
• Syllables Worksheets Set 4
• Syllables Worksheets Set 5
• Syllables Worksheets Set 6

Each set consists of:

• one worksheet
• one gamesheet
• one teachersheet

On the worksheet , students sort words into the correct columns according to their number of syllables.

Each gamesheet can be used to play three different games (Maze, Snap! and Pelmanism).

The teachersheet gives detailed instructions. Answers are also given (shown as "KEY").

Lesson 11 – Syllables and word stress

We are moving beyond the phonetic sounds of English now. We’re going to focus on some other important parts of pronunciation:

A good way to practice these aspects of pronunciation is to do a practice called shadowing or parroting. The term “parroting” gets its name from how parrots copy human voices.

When you are practicing you should choose something a video to listen to and repeat everything they say about or or two seconds later.

Here is another video. The parrot doesn’t say much but the woman has an expressive voice. Try parroting her. I recommend that in the YouTube setting you change the playback speed to 0.5.

Write the IPA for the following sentences.

Find the answer at the bottom of the lesson.

Words are divided into syllables. The vowel is the main unit of a syllable. If you count the separate vowel units then you know how many syllables there are.

One-syllable words

Two-syllable words, how many syllables are in these words.

• pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis http://www.aepronunciation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/11-3-3.mp3

Word Stress

In words with more than one syllable, some syllables are stressed and some are unstressed .

Stressed syllable

You put a stress mark in front of the stressed syllable. In both of the examples below, the second syllable is stressed.

• a’bandon
• un’tie

Stressed word

You can even have stressed words in a phrase.

• ‘ball game
• put ‘on

Primary stress and secondary stress

In longer words you often have a strong stress and a weak stress. The strong stress is called the primary stress and it uses a high mark ( ‘ ) before the strongly stressed syllable. The weak stress is called the secondary stress and it uses a low mark ( ˌ ) before the weakly stressed syllable.

• ˌmultipli’cation
• comˌmuni’cation

Stress Patterns

‘1-2-3

1-‘2-3

ˌ1-2-‘3

‘1-2-3-4

1-‘2-3-4

• catastrophe

ˌ1-2-‘3-4

ˌ1-2-‘3-4-5

• mathematical
• indeterminate

1-ˌ2-3-‘4-5

• communication
• pronunciation

Multi-word stress rules

Compound nouns.

If you have two nouns in a single word, then the first noun is stressed.

This is true even when the two words are separated:

• train station
• birthday party
• apartment building

Phrasal verbs

If you have a verb plus an adverb, then the adverb is stressed:

Verb + Adverb

However, this may change if the verb takes an object.

If you have a phrasal verb with a preposition, then the verb is stressed, not the preposition.

Verb + Preposition

• look at  –  ‘look at the ‘bird
• listen to  –  ‘listen to ‘music

Other compound words

Generally if you have an adjective plus a noun, both words are stressed:

However, if the two words become a single meaning, then the first word is stressed. Compare the following examples:

Check out this page for more.

Sometimes there are interesting differences in meaning when you stress different words:

• English teacher
• baby doctor

Find five more example words for each of the stress patterns above.

Answer to IPA dictation problem

dɛlə hæd bɛn seɪvɪŋ fɚ mʌnθs  bəd ɑl ʃi hæd wəz wʌn dɑlɚ ɛn eɪɾi sɛvən sɛnts

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What is the Syllable Type? - Color By Syllables Worksheet

Updated:  31 May 2023

Practice identifying the six syllable types in common words with this color-coding activity.

Editable:  Google Slides

Non-Editable:  PDF

Pages:  1 Page

• Curriculum Curriculum:  CCSS, TEKS

Grades:  1 - 2

• Adobe Reader (pdf) Sign up to Plus
• Google Slides Sign up to Plus

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.B

Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.D

Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.E

Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables.

ELAR 1.2(B)

Demonstrate and apply phonetic knowledge by:

ELAR 1.2(B)(i)

Decoding words in isolation and in context by applying common letter sound correspondences;

ELAR 1.2(B)(ii)

Decoding words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs;

ELAR 1.2(B)(iii)

Decoding words with closed syllables; open syllables; VCe syllables; vowel teams, including vowel digraphs and diphthongs; and r-controlled syllables;

It’s A Rainbow of Syllable Types!

Did you know that there’s more to analyzing the syllables in words than simply counting how many there are?

Syllables can actually be classified according to their type. There are six main syllable types, as outlined below:

• Closed syllable: A closed syllable has only one vowel and is followed by one or more consonants. The vowel has a short vowel sound.
• Open syllable: An open syllable ends in a vowel. The vowel has a long vowel sound. The vowel says its letter name. Remember that “y” can act as a vowel.
• Magic e syllable: A magic e syllable has one vowel and is followed by a consonant and a silent e. The vowel has a long vowel sound. 
• Vowel team syllable : A vowel team syllable has a team of two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. Sometimes, the team includes consonant letters, like ay, oy, ow, and aw.      
• R-controlled syllable : An r-controlled syllable has an r following a vowel. The r changes the vowel sound so that it is neither long nor short.       
• Consonant +le: A consonant +le syllable comes at the end of a word. It has a consonant, then an l, then a silent e.         

While this may seem complicated at first, the goal of teaching syllable types to our students is a very simple one: To equip our students with the tools necessary to decode and encode any word (or any size!) they may encounter!

This worksheet has been designed to help students identify the six syllable types in common words. They are required to color each space by following the color key to reveal the image. Students need to leave blank spaces white. An answer key is included.

Tips for Scaffolding and Extension

This syllables resource has been designed to help your students better understand syllable types. Should you need to support or extend students in your class, you may wish to try the following ideas: 

• For students who require support, provide them with a visual reminder of the syllable types to refer to while they are completing the mazes. Our Types of Syllables Anchor Charts would be perfect for this purpose!
• For students who require an extension, challenge them to write a list of all the other syllables (and their accompanying syllable type) that can be found on the worksheet.

Download the File Format That Best Suits You

Use the dropdown menu next to the Download button to select between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource.

Because this resource includes an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy of the entire file. Then, make photocopies of the blank worksheet for students to complete.

To save paper, why not project the activity onto a screen and work through it as a class? Have students come up to the board in turn to color in a word using markers. Your students will love seeing the rainbow appear before their very eyes!

This resource was created by Lisamarie Del Valle, a teacher in Florida and a Teach Starter collaborator.

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