syllable

syllable — noun

1. one of the separate sound parts that make up a word when you say it, each contai

1.nounB1
Definition

one of the separate sound parts that make up a word when you say it, each containing at least one vowel sound

Example

Sumin clapped once for each syllable in her name.

collocation: clap + for each syllable

When teaching young children to read, Adaeze breaks each word into its syllables.

collocation: break into syllables

Common collocations
  • first syllable
  • last syllable
  • stressed syllable
  • each syllable
  • per syllable
  • single syllable
  • break into syllables
  • divide into syllables

Grammar Patterns

syllable + of + noun

number + syllable + adjective (word/language)

Usage Note

A syllable always contains one vowel sound, though the number of letters can vary widely. For example, 'eye' has three letters but only one syllable, while 'emphasise' has ten letters across three syllables.

Common Mistakes

The word has three syllables so it has three letters.
Syllables are about sounds, not letters. The word 'though' has five letters but only one syllable.
counting letters instead of vowel sounds when identifying syllables.
Idioms

in words of one syllable

idiom

using very simple and clear language so that someone can understand something easily, especially when explaining something complicated

Could you explain how the internet works in words of one syllable? I am not very technical.

The doctor put the diagnosis in words of one syllable so the patient would not be confused.

syllable — verb

Word family

  • syllabic
    adjectiveB2
  • syllabary
    nounC1
  • syllabify
    verbC2
  • syllabification
    nounC2
  • syllabication
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A syllable is a unit of spoken language built around a vowel sound, while a phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that can change meaning (e.g. /p/ vs /b/ in 'pat' vs 'bat'). One syllable always contains at least one vowel phoneme but usually also includes consonant phonemes before or after it. A mora is a timing unit used in languages like Japanese, where one syllable can contain one or two moras. For example, the Japanese word 'to-o-kyo-o' (Tokyo) has three syllables but four moras. English learners mainly need to understand syllables for pronunciation and word stress; phonemes matter for spelling and accent improvement.

syllable ↗phonememora

Common collocations

Nouns

  • syllable count
  • syllable stress
  • syllable division
  • syllable structure
  • syllable length

Phrases

Prepositions

  • per syllable
  • in syllables
  • into syllables
  • of syllables

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'syllable' entered English from Old French 'sillabe', which came from Latin 'syllaba', borrowed from Greek 'syllabē'. In Greek, 'syllabē' literally meant 'a taking together', from 'syn-' (together) and 'lambanein' (to take). The original idea was that a syllable is a group of speech sounds 'taken together' as one unit.