Definition of Syllable
A syllable is a single unbroken sound of a spoken or written word.
It is one unit of sound in English. Syllables join consonants and vowels to form words. Sometimes syllables are referred to as the ‘beats’ of spoken language.
What is a Syllable?
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound with or without surrounding consonants. It forms the whole word or a part of a word. The process of breaking a word into small parts is called syllabification.
A syllable is possible without consonant sound but it is not possible without a vowel sound. It is necessary to have at least one vowel sound to have one syllable.The number of times you hear a vowel sound in a world is equal to the number of syllables a word has.Syllables differ from a phoneme.
What is Phoneme?
A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound.
The number of syllables in a word is unrelated to the number of phonemes it contains.
For example the word cat is made up of three phonemes /k/ /a/ /t/ but it has only one syllable as it has only one vowel sound /a/ along with two consonants /k/ and /t/.
There are 44 basic sounds or phonemes but when we speak we don’t use isolated sounds like /p/ /t/ /k/.
In order to analyse speech we need a unit longer than a speech sound.
The syllable can be considered as a convenient unit by which the sounds can be organised in particular patterns. These patterns are formed on the basis of a particular structure which each syllable has.
The syllable is thus a very significant unit in the production of speech without which, we cannot analyse or describe it. To know about a syllable structure, click here.
Open Syllable:
An open syllable is that syllable which has only one vowel sound or which ends with a vowel sound.
Example:
go
•Say /sei/
•A
Closed Syllable :
A closed syllable ends with a consonant. It has only one vowel sound but it can have one or more consonant.
•If
•Ask
•Talk
•Sit
•tin
On the basis of possible combinations of sounds, a word is divided into syllables. number of syllables mark that word as monosyllabic ( having one syllable) or disyllabic (having two syllables) and so on.
Monosyllabic:
Words with one syllable are called monosyllabic word.
For Example:
•Cat/cat/
•Boss /boss/
•Cream /kri:m/
•Dog /dog/
Disyllabic:
Words with two syllables are called disyllabic words.
•Pencil /pen/ /cil/
•Remark /re/ /mark/
•Water /wa/ ter/
Trisyllabic:
Words with three syllables are called trisyllabicwords.
•Beautiful /beau/ti/ful/
•Artistic /ar/tis/tic/
Foursyllabic:
•Application /app/li/ca/tion/ •Cultivation /cul/ti/va/tion/ •Mandatory /man/da/to/ry/
Polysyllabic:
•Personification: /Per/so/ni/fi/ca/tion/
•Identification: /i/den/ti/fi/ca/tion/
•Unsophisticated: /un/so/phis/ti/ca/ted/
This was all about syllables in English which play a very significant role in the production of speech.
To understand about syllables and phonemes thoroughly for better understanding, click the video below.
We already know that a syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word. There are many types of syllables, but today we’ll have a look at words with just 1 syllable.
Words with one syllable are called Monosyllabic words, similarly words with more than one syllable are called polysyllabic words.
Cat, Bus, One, Red, Moon, Sun, Drop, Door, Week, Fear, Love, Hear, Cord, Snake, Month, Crown, School, Tongue, Sword, Cheeks are 20 examples of monosyllabic words to teach young kids.
One Syllable Words List for Kids
Following is a list of 100 words with 1 syllable for elementary grade kids.
then | they | the | time |
to | up | a | war |
was | all | and | as |
are | be | by | day |
did | each | few | for |
get | have | he | his |
him | I | is | in |
it | long | man | me |
more | much | my | new |
not | now | of | off |
old | on | one | or |
out | pen | tree | |
church | blow | Crow | Glow |
Row | Low | Mow | Own |
Slow | Bear | Dish | Deal |
Ball | Bat | Mall | Fall |
call | wall | doll | mat |
fat | sat | Hat | eat |
ate | beat | neat | feat |
heat | Feat | seat | food |
street | wheat | what | meat |
meet | deed | greed | need |
foot | bread | bread | start |
bend | end | mend | lend |
Send | tend | two | four |
Fend | three | five | six |
One | eight | nine | ten |
corn | twelve | torn | born |
Born | form | Norm | from |
For | fear | near | dear |
Wear | peer | Beer | sheer |
wake | make | sake | take |
Fake | flake | break | brake |
bake | lake | stake | cake |
Stale | nail | Pale | tail |
Fail | sale | Sail | male |
Tale | Bail | whale | |
tongue | Cause | Spoke | Sweep |
crown | blame | worse | Wrong |
mourn | scene | dumb | break |
faith | glove | count | steep |
knees | pause | snake | month |
bomb | raid | dumb | Slew |
moon | life | base | plot |
head | high | soul | love |
fear | weak | head | week |
rage | door | yard | pole |
base | drop | heat | cord |
path | sack | step | high |
pear | oft | sun | bus |
few | act | bid | red |
one | same | shame | she |
fame | tame | name | game |
so | state | than | that |
The following is a word list having adjectives with one syllable, they are also called monosyllabic adjectives and are used for describing nouns.
tall | fat | big | sad |
on | near | go | up |
green | rich | live | self |
off | net | old | young |
hard | soft | south | north |
scarce | high | down | long |
born | late | low | sure |
light | home | big | dark |
ill | fit | strong | po |
smart | like | weak | east |
new | black | white | good |
bad | red | sick | best |
lost | won | free | thin |
thick | royal | far | full |
true | fat | nice | west |
east | toe | sweet | clear |
cold | fair | past | hot |
sound | fast | sad | real |
fine | dead | wild | brave |
cut | tail | kind | well |
lean | plain | left | right |
deep | same | cool | bright |
short | loud | wise | pure |
best | worst | last | first |
wrong | close | half | made |
bold | calm | square | lit |
wide | rough | round | loose |
straight | fresh | bare | tired |
slow | wicked | loved | dim |
sent | proud | flat | sent |
peak | shed | stuck | plus |
smooth | salt | naive | wet |
tough | raw | still | glad |
tight | joint | male | blind |
French | sharp | sharp | Dutch |
loyal | hex | Greek | used |
sour | shut | used | few |
found | due | broad | dry |
odd | joyous | foul | just |
bound | blessed | thick | sacred |
burned | frail | cheap | held |
deaf | gross | bland | eyed |
whole | prime | steep | poor |
shared | closed | drunk | sold |
dull | ripe | blond | Welsh |
armed | Czech | sought | faced |
tame | known | Sikh | scotch |
eared | mild | vague | owed |
wired | signed | based | norse |
kept | clad | paid | stress |
Swiss | burnt | stopped | crude |
owned | worn | charred | stale |
formed | stored | strep | tied |
awned | solved | hired | biped |
drawn | sealed | creole | rigged |
drained | theist | nett | learned |
touched | raised | chaste | stacked |
blest | shaped | turned | trained |
wrapped | shrieked | pleased | awed |
earned | inbred | curst | stoic |
laced | cursed | lined | arched |
stained | posed | backed | forced |
beaked | shorn | planned | saved |
spaced | echt | bowed | shaved |
cleared | tipped | crowned | geared |
paired | ripped | rugged | marked |
sheared | rhymed | liked | greased |
tamed | proved | played | play |
cook | carve | glaze | toned |
Phew!… that was a long list. Make sure you following the order while teaching these words to kids.
Quick Links
- Two Syllable Adjectives
- Types of Syllables
Syllable definition: A syllable is a unit of sound that creates meaning in language. Consonants join vowels to create syllables.
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
Syllables are formed when a vowel pairs with a consonant to create a unit of sound.
Some words have one syllable (monosyllabic), and some words have many syllables (polysyllabic).
New vowels sounds create new syllables.
- long
- This word has one syllable. There is only one vowel sound, created by the “o.”
- shame
- 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.”
- silent
- 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
What is an open syllable? An open syllable is a syllable that has only one vowel and only one vowel sound. The single vowel in the open syllable occurs at the end of the word.
Examples of Open Syllables:
- wry
- try
- no
- go
- a
- chew
- brew
Closed Syllable
What is a closed syllable? A closed syllable is a syllable that has only one vowel and only one vowel sound. A closed syllable ends in a consonant.
Examples of Closed Syllables:
- clock
- truck
- ask
- bin
- trim
- gym
- neck
- if
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
Words with one syllable (monosyllabic)
Single vowel sound
- man
- This word has two consonants and one vowel
- The one vowel sound (the short “a”) joins with the two consonants to create one syllable
- cry
- This word has two consonants and one vowel
- 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
- brain
- 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
- tree
- 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”
- lane
- This word has two consonants and two vowels
- 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 single vowel sound joins with the two consonants to make one syllable
- tile
- This word has two consonants and two vowels
- 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
- The single vowel sound joins with the two consonants to make one syllable
Polysyllabic Words
Words with more than one syllable (polysyllabic)
- baker
- two syllables
- This word has three consonants and two vowels
- “bak”: two consonants “m” “k” plus one vowel “a”
- “er”: one vowel “e” plus one consonant “r”
- growing
- two syllables
- 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”
- terrible
- 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
Contents
- 1 What is a Syllable?
- 2 Examples of Syllables in English
- 3 Open Syllable vs. Closed Syllable
- 4 Open Syllable
- 5 Closed Syllable
- 6 How Many Syllables Are in a Word?
- 7 Monosyllabic Words
- 8 Polysyllabic Words
- 9 Summary: What are Syllables?
Last Update: Jan 03, 2023
This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!
Asked by: Dr. Willow Moen MD
Score: 4.7/5
(29 votes)
When two words are divided into its component sounds, called syllables, this process is called Syllabication. Syllabication is used and is necessary in pronunciation of words.
Which is correct syllabification or syllabification?
Although these are synonyms (= the act or process of forming syllables, or of dividing words into syllables), prefer “syllabification,” since it corresponds to the more common verb “syllabify” (as opposed to *»syllabicate»).
What is correct Syllabication?
Syllabication is the process of dividing a word into its component sounds, called syllables. Syllabication is necessary in pronouncing words correctly, and many children need a great deal of help in learning syllabication.
What is the difference between Syllabication and syllabification?
As nouns the difference between syllabification and syllabication. is that syllabification is the division of a word into syllables while syllabication is the act of syllabifying; syllabification.
What is Syllabication example?
When two consonants come between two vowels in a word, the syllables should divide between the consonants. Good examples of this rule include un/der, san/dy, or pig/let. … If a word contains a double consonant, the syllables should be divided between the two consonants. Examples include hap/py, lit/tle, and diz/zy.
33 related questions found
What is Syllabication in phonics?
Syllabication refers to dividing written words into syllables. Syllabication is useful to know: when you are writing and a word is too long to fit on a line, you must divide the word correctly. Words should always be divided between syllables. Knowledge of syllabication is also helpful in pronouncing words.
What is English syllabification?
The word syllabification essentially means «the act of separating into syllables,» and syllable goes back to the Greek syllabē, «that which is held together» or «several sounds taken together.» Syllables are sounds held together by vowels, and the process of syllabification involves identifying those separate syllables …
What is Syllabication linguistics?
Syllabification is the process of dividing a word into its constituent syllables. … Most linguists view syllables as an important unit of prosody because many phonological rules and con- straints apply within syllables or at syllable bound- aries (Blevins, 1995).
What is Tetra syllable?
tetrasyllable. / (ˌtɛtrəˈsɪləbəl) / noun. a word of four syllables.
Is Noctiphany a word?
Noctiphany is the manifestation of something that happens only at night. Noctiphany is an incredibly rare word that derives from the Latin nocti (night) and the Greek -phany (appearance or manifestation).
What did bully originally mean?
The earliest meaning of English bully was “sweetheart.” The word was probably borrowed from Dutch boel, “lover.” Later bully was used for anyone who seemed a good fellow, then for a blustering daredevil.
How do you Syllabify words?
Expert Answer:
- Divide syllables between the consonants when two consonants come between two vowels in a word. …
- Divide the syllables keeping the blends together when there are more than two consonants together in a word. …
- Divide the syllables after the first vowel, when there is one consonant between two vowels in a word.
What is monosyllabic example?
«Yes», «no», «jump», «buy», and «heat» are monosyllables. The longest monosyllabic words in the English language, all containing nine letters each, are «screeched,» «schlepped,» «scratched,» «scrounged,» «scrunched,» «stretched,» «straights,» and «strengths.»
What are some three syllable words?
3-syllable words
- fantastic.
- athletic.
- establish.
- penmanship.
- investment.
- consistent.
- misconduct.
- basketball.
What are the 7 syllables?
Defines the seven syllable types: closed, open, r control, final magic e, [ -cle ], diphthong, and vowel team.
Why do we Syllabicate words?
Since vowels can make different sounds, identifying the syllable usually identifies the right vowel sound. Syllabication teaches students to read unknown words, increases their sight-word vocabulary, and aids in learning how to spell words (Torgesen, 2004; Moats, 2001; Curtis & Longo, 1999).
What are some 5 syllable words?
words 5 syllable
- amanuensis.
- belletristical.
- penetralia.
- superangelic.
- supercelestial.
- subterranean.
- tonsillectomy.
- appendectomy.
What is Greek Syllabification?
Syllabification in Greek. In Greek spelling is not done letter by letter (unlike in English) but syllable by syllable. If you want to pronounce a Greek word you have to break it down into its syllables. This is called «syllabification». Example: πα–τέ-ρας (the father)
Is school a one syllable word?
School Has One Syllable — People In Education.
How do you Syllabify a college?
“College” is a 2:1—two syllables, stress on the first syllable.
How do I teach my child multisyllabic words?
When teaching your students to spell longer words effectively, here are some tips:
- Repeat the word and give it in a sentence.
- Make a line for each spoken syllable.
- Pronounce each syllable one by one.
- Segment the sounds in each syllable and write each one.
- Check for sounds and rules.
- Reread.
How do you teach Syllabication?
Tips for Teaching Syllable Division Rules to Students
- Look at the word. Circle the vowel sounds with red.
- Underline the consonants BETWEEN the vowels (don’t worry about the other consonants).
- Determine which syllable division rule (VC/CV, V/CV, VC/V, or V/V) applies. …
- Cut or mark the word accordingly.
- Read the word.
Why should Syllabication be taught?
Why teach about syllables? Dividing words into parts, or «chunks» helps speed the process of decoding. Knowing the rules for syllable division can students read words more accurately and fluently. Understanding syllables can also help students learn to spell words correctly.
Here are few One Syllable Words (Mono-Syllable Words). To understand word stress, we have to understand syllables. Words have one or more syllables. A syllable is a unit of pronunciation. It consists of either a vowel sound alone or a vowel and one or more consonant sounds. Notice that (with a few rare exceptions) every syllable contains at least one vowel (a, e, i, o or u) or vowel sound. Every word is made from syllables. Each word has one, two, three or more syllables.
There are ….
- A
- All
- And
- Are
- As
- Be
- By
- Day
- Did
- Each
- Few
- For
- Get
- Have
- He
- Him
- His
- I
- In
- Is
- It
- Long
- Man
- Me
- More
- Much
- My
- New
- Not
- Now
- Of
- Off
- Old
- On
- One
- Or
- Out
- Same
- She
- So
- State
- Than
- That
- The
- They
- Time
- To
- Up
- War
- Was
Syllables |
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