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Linguistics & Grammar vocabulary · Phonetics and Phonology

Syllable

Meaning in linguistics & grammar, with examples

/ˈsɪləbl/nounCore term

In linguistics & grammar, syllable means: A unit of pronunciation built around a vowel sound, often with consonants before or after it; 'banana' has three syllables: ba-na-na.

In Turkish: hece

How it is used

Teachers count syllables, mark the stressed syllable and clap syllables in class. Phonologists talk about the onset, nucleus and coda of a syllable. Related adjectives: monosyllabic (one syllable) and polysyllabic (many syllables).

Example sentences

  1. How many syllables are there in 'comfortable'? Most speakers say three, not four.

  2. Turkish learners sometimes add an extra syllable to 'school' and say 'is-kool'.

Common collocations

  • stressed syllable
  • unstressed syllable
  • syllable structure
  • first syllable
  • stressExtra force or length given to one syllable in a word, or to one word in a sentence, which makes it sound stronger and clearer than the others.
  • vowelA speech sound made with the air flowing freely through the mouth, without the tongue or lips blocking it, such as the sounds in see, cat and boot.
  • consonantA speech sound made by partly or completely blocking the air in the mouth or throat, such as /p/, /s/ or /m/; also a letter that usually spells such a sound.
  • schwaThe short, weak, central vowel /ə/, the most common vowel sound in English, heard in unstressed syllables such as the first sound of 'about' or the end of 'teacher'.

More terms: Phonetics and Phonology

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