Syllabification: Meaning, Rules, and Examples

Introduction Syllabification:

• Syllabification is also known as ‘syllabication’.
• It is a process of breaking a word into smaller parts that is known as syllables.
• First, we will learn what is syllable.
• It is a small unit of a sound of a spoken or written word.
• It has at least one vowel sound.
• Syllable is possible without any consonant also. But vowel is mandatory.

Example:

• Pump: 1 vowel- 1 syllable
• Pumpkin: 2 vowels- 2 syllables
• In the first word ‘pump’, it has 1 vowel. So, it’s a 1-syllable word.
• In the second word ‘pumpkin’, it has 2 vowels, So, it’s a 2-syllable word.

We use syllabification to,

• Simplify the words to read.
• Easy to read new words.
• Easy to read long words.
• It helps to improve reading, speaking and pronunciation of the person who is learning to read new and long words.

Rules of Syllabification:

• Do not divide two vowel letters, if they have one sound.

Beau/Ti/Ful

• Here we have 3 vowels in ‘Beau’, but while pronunciation, it has the sound of only 1 vowel-’U’.

Examples:

• Treat, Cloud, School

• When two consonants come between two vowels, divide the consonants.

Cus/Tom

Plas/Tic

• Here we have 2 consonants between the vowels.

• When there is one consonant between two vowels, divide the word after the first vowel.

Tiger

Lotus

• Here we have 1 consonant between vowels.

• Never count the silent vowel letters to get the correct syllable.

Game

Plate

• Here the letter ‘e’ is silent while pronunciation. So, we have single vowel sounds/ one syllable.

• Divide compound words between two base words.

Bed-sheet

Note-book

Foot-ball

• Here the words formed by joining two single syllable words.

Types of syllabifications:

• Monosyllabic
• Disyllabic
• Trisyllabic
• Tera syllabic
• Penta syllabic
• Multi syllabic

• Syllabification is a process of breaking down a multi-syllable word into its individual syllabic components.
• It is closely related to phonics.
• There are a variety of ways to syllabify words, and that process is dependent on the language spoken.

Let’s learn some words and their syllabification:

• Basic- Ba/sic
• Candle- Can/dle
• Basket- Bas/ket
• Consonant- Con/so/nant
• Hundred- Hun/dred