Have you ever wondered what is a syllable? How to use it? In fact, we always encounter syllables in our everyday life. Therefore, it is important to understand how to use syllables.
What is a Syllable?
According to the merriam-webster dictionary, a syllable is a unit of spoken language that is greater than a speech sound. A syllable can consist of one or more vowels and can be with or without surrounding consonants.
To be more specific, it is a part of a sound that is uninterrupted and can be produced with just one breath from the lungs.
A word can usually consist of one and up to four syllables. Thus, this also means that not every syllable has a vowel, but when you pronounce a vowel sound, you will hear it. To determine the number of syllables in one word, what matters is the pronunciation of the word
Types of Syllables
First, we will talk about the types of syllables that you need to know. According to its type there are 7 types of syllables. Therefore, you can separate every word into these 7 syllable types.
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Closed Syllables
The first one is a closed syllable. A closed syllable consists of a single vowel and ends with a consonant. Some examples would be: cut, not, hut, rot, step, when, fan, run, joyful, frozen, paper, etc.
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Open Syllables
Next, we will talk about open syllables. Open syllables are words that end with a single vowel, and the vowel has a long sound. Examples of this kind of syllables are as follows: city, many, he, dry, ace, fire, early, lucky, etc.
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Magic “E” Syllables
For the third one, the magic “e” syllable ends with a consonant and a silent “e”. This type of syllable is famous for its long vowel sound. Some examples of this syllable include cake, line, wise, safe, base, able, valentine, and separate.
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Vowel Teams Syllables
Moving on, we have the vowel team syllables. The vowel team syllable characteristic is that it contains two vowels that can make one vowel sound. Examples of this type of syllables are: fleet, play, float, tree, rain, feats, and early.
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Diphthong Syllables
These can be the hardest syllables that people often make mistakes with. A diphthong syllable is a syllable that contains a vowel sound that is made from two vowel sounds. Thus, you can say this word in quick succession. Examples are hair, pear, their, goat, soul, dough, boil, foil.
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R-controlled Syllables
The r-controlled syllable is a syllable that consists of a single “r”. The “r” controls the sound of the syllables. You will find it at the end of the word. The examples are as follows: her, thirst, star, tar, far, part, flirt, dirt, pillar, glacier, better, power.
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Consonant LE Syllables
The last one is the consonant-LE syllable. It is indeed an unaccented final syllable followed by “le.” A few examples of these syllables are: people, purple, marble, rubble, responsible, possible, adorable, admirable, invincible
Well, that is all there is to know about syllables. Understanding the 7 types of syllables is actually a necessary skill to teach spelling and reading. To understand more about syllables, you can look up on the Fun English Course.
In the Fun English Course, not only will you find more information about syllables. But you will also find other information about English grammar, vocabulary, and tips and tricks for beginners. Therefore, you can enhance your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary in English!
Don’t forget that the most important thing in learning about what is a syllable and also the pronunciation. It is very important for you because they determine how many syllables a word has.