SYLLABIFICATION RULES

Syllabification is the separation of a word into syllables, whether spoken or written. In most languages, the
actually spoken syllables are the basis of syllabification in writing too. However, due to the very weak
correspondence between sounds and letters in the spelling of modern English, for example, written
syllabification in English has to be based mostly on etymological i.e. morphological instead of phonetic
principles. English "written" syllables therefore do not correspond to the actually spoken syllables of the living
language.

Gameboard 1 - When 2 consonants stand between 2 vowels, split between the consonants.

Gameboard 2 - When 1 consonant stands between 2 vowels split after the first vowel and it'll say its name.

Gameboard 3 - Sometimes when 1 consonant comes between 2 vowels we divide after the consonant. The vowel
is short - it makes its sound, not its name. cab/in

Gameboard 4 - Two little words are put together to make a big word. Split between the two little words.

Glossary of Pronunciation Terms

accent

the unique speech patterns of a person or group

affricate

a speech sound (consonant) that contains a stop followed by an immediate

fricative, as in the ch // in "chair"

air flow/airstream

the flow or passage of air out of the mouth

alveolar

sound formed by touching the tip of the tongue to the upper alveolar ridge, as in
/t/ or /d/

alveolar ridge

the bony region at the roof and bottom of the mouth behind the front teeth;
contains the tooth sockets

approximants

consonants with a partial obstruction of airflow, as in /w/ and /r/

articulation

the act of making speech sounds

aspiration

a small "explosion" of air when you make a sound

auditory

hearing (not seeing)

bilabial

consonant sounds formed using both lips, as in /p/ or /b/

close vowel (sometimes

called "high" vowel)

a vowel sound that is pronounced with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth
(but not close enough to constrict the air and make a consonant), as in /i:/ in the
word "free"

consonant

a speech sound made when there is complete or partial obstruction of air in the
mouth, as in /v/, /h/, /d/ (compare vowel)

clusters

blended sounds put together to make a single sound

curl

a position of the tongue where the tongue is shaped in a curve, not flat

dental

a consonant sound made when the tongue touches the upper teeth, as in /t/ and /n/

dialect

unique vocabulary, pronunciation and usage that is typical of a certain group of

people

diphthong

a sound made by the combination of two vowel sounds in a single syllable, as in

"boy", "loud" or "wide", where the sound starts as one vowel and moves towards
another vowel

flatten

a positioning of the tongue where the tongue is flat not round

fricative

a speech sound (consonant) in which air is forced to pass through a small opening
and creates friction, as in /f/ and /v/

glide/slide

moving the tongue while saying a word

glottal stop

the sound that is made when the vocal folds are closed very briefly; as in the
middle of the word "uh-oh" (common in American English)

gum

the tissue around the base of the teeth

hard palate

hard part of the roof of the mouth

intonation

change in pitch of a sentence, up and down; the music or rhythm of speech

labiodental

sounds that are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/

larynx

the hollow, muscular organ in the throat that holds the vocal chords; the voice
box

lateral

a speech sound that is made by touching the tongue to the middle of the alveolar
ridge, allowing air to pass on both sides

lengthen sound

make the duration of the sound longer

linking

the joining of words when speaking, as in "Ca-nI-ha-va-bi-to-fegg?" (Can I have

a bit of egg?)

lips spread

lips are open slightly and pulled back

lower

bottom of mouth

minimal pairs

two words that differ only in terms of one sound, as in "cat and bat" OR "fine and
vine"

monophthong

a single vowel sound that does not change in auditory quality; also called a "pure
vowel"

nasal consonants

consonant sounds made by pushing air through the nose, as in /m/, /n/ and //

non-pulmonic

when the air comes from a source other than the lungs

obstruction

a blockage of air flow

open vowel (also called

"low" vowel)

a vowel that is produced with the tongue far down from the roof of the mouth, as
in the /a:/ sound in "far"

palatal

a sound that is made when the tongue is near or touching the roof of the mouth

palate

the roof of the mouth

phoneme

an individual speech sound

phonetic alphabet

an alphabet that represents the sounds of speech

phonetic transcription

a form of notation that uses symbols to identify the individual sounds (phonemes)
in a word

plosive

a consonant sound produced when there is a complete obstruction of air followed

by its sudden release, as in the /p/ of "pot"

pitch

amount of highness or lowness of a sound or speech

Post alveolar

a consonant sound made with the tip of the tongue slightly back from the alveolar
ridge, as in // in "shut"

pressed lips

top and bottom lips touching

protruded lips

rounded lips, pushed out

pulmonic

a sound that is made using the airstream directly from the lungs

raised

higher than the neutral position

reduction

the natural shortening of sounds when speaking (e.g. "going to" reduced to
"gonna")

rhotic

a variety or dialect of English in which "r" is pronounced before a consonant (as

in "hard") and at the end of words (as in "car"); Midwestern American English,
for example, is "rhotic"

roof

the inside top part of the mouth

rounded lips

lips formed into the shape of a circle

rounded vowel

a vowel made with rounded lips

sentence stress

the placement of emphasis on specific words within a sentence or phrase

shorten sound

make the duration of a sound shorter

soft palate

soft part of the roof of the mouth

sonorant

sounds that are made when air is impeded only slightly, as in /m/, /n/

stop (stop consonant)

a consonant sound that is produced when the airflow is (temporarily) stopped

entirely by the lips or tongue, as in /p/

syllable

a single unit of sound that creates one beat in a word; the word "coffee" has two
syllables (cof-fee)

syllable nucleus

the central part of a syllable, usually a vowel

tap

touch quickly

tone

the emotion that is conveyed through the sound of speech (e.g. anger or sadness)

tongue

muscular tissue in the mouth used for tasting and articulating

tooth ridge

the hard area directly behind the top front teeth

trill

a vibrating sound made with a flapping tongue, as in the rolled "r" sound made
when people roll their r's

upper

top of mouth

velar

of a sound that is made with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in the
the // in "sing"

velum

a soft membrane on the roof of the mouth (also called "soft palate")

vocal chords (AmE cords)

two muscles inside the larynx that vibrate and create the voice

vocal tract

the entire apparatus that produces voice, starting in the lungs and ending at the
lips and nostrils (openings of the mouth and nose)

voiced

of a sound made with the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating

voiceless/unvoiced

of a sound made without the vocal chords (voice box) vibrating

vowel

a speech sound made when air is free to pass through the mouth with little or no
obstruction, as in sounds made with the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y
(compare consonant)

vowel backness

position of the tongue in relation to the back of the mouth when making a vowel
sound (positions include front, near-front, centre, near-back, back)

vowel height

distance between the tongue and the roof of the mouth when pronouncing a vowel
sound (IPA has 7 heights: close (highest), near-close, mid-close, mid, open-mid,
near-open, open (lowest)

word stress

the placement of emphasis within a word that has more than one syllable

Syllables and Syllabication

This lesson teaches the basics of syllables and syllabication and includes the definition of a syllable, examples
of single syllable and multiple syllable words, and the rules of syllabication, which outline the correct method
of breaking or dividing words into syllables.
What is a Syllable?

A syllable is a unit of pronunciation consisting of a vowel sound, or a vowel sound grouped with one or more
consonant sounds, pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, and forming either a complete word or one of
the units of pronunciation that together make a word.
Examples of words containing a single syllable: got; cart; switch; torch; fault; breath.

Examples of words containing multiple syllables: to/day; big/ger; for/est; al/to/geth/er; con/di/tion/al/ly;
ex/is/ten/tial/ism.
Rules of Syllabication

Syllabication Rule 1.
A one-syllable word is never divided.(say, rest)
Syllabication Rule 2.
Divide a compound word between the words that make up the compound word. (on/to, sun/light). When
necessary, divide the smaller words into syllables. (un/der/dog)
Syllabication Rule 3.
When a word has a suffix, divide the word between the base word and the suffix. (youth/ful, sad/ly)
Syllabication Rule 4.
When a word has a prefix, divide the word between the prefix and the base word or root. (re/new, un/cover)
Some prefixes have more than one syllable. (in/ter/weave, o/ver/take)
Syllabication Rule 5.
When two or more consonants come between the two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided between the
first two consonants. (in/take, win/ner)
Syllabication Rule 6.
When a single consonant comes between two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided after the consonant
if the first vowel is short. (wag/on, shiv/er)
Syllabication Rule 7.
When a single consonant comes between two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided before the
consonant if the first vowel is long. (ra/dar, fi/ber)
Syllabication Rule 8.
When a vowel is sounded alone in a word, the vowel is a syllable itself. (gas/o/line, i/dol,)
Syllabication Rule 9.
When two vowels come together in a word and are sounded separately, divide the word between the two
vowels. (pli/ers, di/ode)
Syllabication Rule 10.
When a word ends in le preceded by a consonant, divide the word before that consonant. (bot/tle, cra/dle)

Phonics Rules
The vowels are "a,e,i,o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes the diphthongs
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech.
They are: "b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z,ch,sh,th,ph,wh, ng, and gh".
1. Sometimes the rules don't work.
There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many
languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.
2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel.
English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.
3. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central", and
"city".
4. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".
5. When 2 consonants are joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph.
They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph and wh".
6. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples: "fat,
bed, fish, spot, luck".
7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long.
Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".
8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent.
Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow". NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In a
diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are:
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long. Examples:
"pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".
10. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is not
long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term, sir, fir,
fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".

Basic Syllable Rules

1. To find the number of syllables:

---count the vowels in the word,

---subtract any silent vowels, (like the silent "e" at the end of a word or the second vowel
when two vowels a together in a syllable)
---subtract one vowel from every diphthong, (diphthongs only count as one vowel sound.)
---the number of vowels sounds left is the same as the number of syllables.
The number of syllables that you hear when you pronounce a word is the same as the
number of vowels sounds heard. For example:
The word "came" has 2 vowels, but the "e" is silent, leaving one vowel sound and one
syllable.
The word "outside" has 4 vowels, but the "e" is silent and the "ou" is a diphthong which
counts as only one sound, so this word has only two vowels sounds and therefore, two
syllables.
2. Divide between two middle consonants.
Split up words that have two middle consonants. For example:
hap/pen, bas/ket, let/ter, sup/per, din/ner, and Den/nis. The only exceptions are the
consonant digraphs. Never split up consonant digraphs as they really represent only one
sound. The exceptions are "th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh".
3. Usually divide before a single middle consonant.
When there is only one syllable, you usually divide in front of it, as in:
"o/pen", "i/tem", "e/vil", and "re/port". The only exceptions are those times when the first
syllable has an obvious short sound, as in "cab/in".
4. Divide before the consonant before an "-le" syllable.
When you have a word that has the old-style spelling in which the "-le" sounds like "-el",
divide before the consonant before the "-le". For example: "a/ble", "fum/ble", "rub/ble"
"mum/ble" and "this/tle". The only exception to this are "ckle" words like "tick/le".
5. Divide off any compound words, prefixes, suffixes and roots which have vowel sounds.
Split off the parts of compound words like "sports/car" and "house/boat". Divide off prefixes
such at "un/happy", "pre/paid", or "re/write". Also divide off suffixes as in the words
"farm/er", "teach/er", "hope/less" and "care/ful". In the word "stop/ping", the suffix is
actually "-ping" because this word follows the rule that when you add "-ing" to a word with
one syllable, you double the last consonant and add the "-ing".

Accent Rules
When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than
the others. The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. It may seem that the
placement of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some rules that
usually work.
1. Accents are often on the first syllable. Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.
2. In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word.
Examples: box'/es, un/tie'.
3. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented.
Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.
4. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last
syllable. Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.
5. When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double
consonants is usually accented. Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.
6. The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious,
and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate. Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.
7. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented.
Examples: ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.
Prepared by

Surya Prakash. S
Resource Person
R.M.S.A. 2011