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Syllable

Updated: Saturday, March 1, 2003

• Syllable is the basic rhythm unit in English, which groups sounds differently from the way Japanese language does.
• The number of syllable equals the number of vowels.

Syllable is the basic unit of rhythm structure in English. This means that English native speakers mentally count the 'beat' of the rhythm by syllables. Compare how this counting of beats is different from that of Japanese.

As we can see from the table, the difference of language produces a big difference in the counting of the beats. This difference causes a serious intelligibility problem. Therefore, it is very important to understand how the rhythm is counted in English.

A syllable consists of an obligatory vowel segment, plus an optional consonantal segment or segments that surround the vowel. In other words, a syllable ALWAYS has a vowel. It may or may not have a consonant or consonants on the either side of the vowel. The syllable count of a sound configuration is the same as the number of vowels.

It is important to note that when we say the number of vowels, it does not mean the number of vowel letters. When we talk about vowels and consonants, we mean the vowel sounds and consonant sounds. Do not get fooled by the spelling. In the following table, a consonant is represented by a C; a vowel, by a V.

(Advanced) Incidentally, Japanese counting is based on what is called a mora. A mora is either an obligatory vowel followed by an optional consonant, or a moraic consonant (a uvular nasal (N) or the first part of a geminate). Note that Japanese sound combination constraints force some extra vowels to be inserted where necessary.

(Japanese learners and others) When you count English syllables, it is important NOT to put extra vowels. Pronounce the following words in order.

When you are not sure how many syllables there are, you can always look up in a dictionary to confirm it. Usually, dictionaries represent the syllable bountaries with a dot (•), like this:

All you have to do is to count the parts that are separated by the dots. In the example above, the word has 19 syllables -- certainly the longest word in English!! It also means that the word has 19 vowels.

The boundaries of syllables may differ depending on the dictionary. As in the following example.

However, it is not important at this point to mind too much about where the syllable boundaries are. It is more important to note the number of syllables.

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Explore this topic further?

• More exercises on syllable counts
• Syllable constituents