These are relatively big components of a word, which the word can be broken down into. Sometimes syllables are also called the ‘beats’ of the spoken language, and teachers often teach students to spot syllables by clapping the ‘beats’ in words.

One can often identify the syllables in a word if they notice when they open and closes the mouth as they pronounce the word.

It’s much easier to read a new word in chunks than to try sounding out all the letters in one continuous string. This is because chunks are easier to retain in short-term memory than many small bits of information. It’s more accurate to spell a long word if one tries to spell it in chunks of syllables instead of remembering all the letters separately. This skill is particularly important for kids who struggle with spelling and reading.

In English spelling, there’re six syllable types, and they include:

Closed syllables: These syllables end with a consonant. The vowel before the last consonant has a short sound (e.g., red, cat). In closed syllables, two or more consonant letters often follow short vowels (back, stretch, doll).

Open syllables: These syllables have a vowel at the end and it has a long sound (e.g., cry, me, go). In an open syllable, there’s no consonant to close it. Therefore, when syllables are merged, there won’t be any doubled consonant between an open syllable and the one that follows.

Vowel-consonant-e syllables: Also referred to as ‘magic e’ syllables, vowel-consonant-e syllables end with a silent e with a consonant just before it. These comprise long vowels spelled with a single letter. Examples of these syllables can be found in while, wake, whale, and rude.

R-controlled syllables: These syllables always contain at least one vowel followed by r (e.g., further, perform, and worth). There’re numerous r-controlled syllables, and students with poor phonological awareness often find it difficult to master them.

Vowel team syllables: A vowel team can have two, three, four, or more letters and may represent a diphthong, short, or long vowel sound. Examples of these syllables are found in boat, thief, and suit. Sometimes, vowel teams contain consonant letters. The letter w is found in aw, ow, and ew, and the letter y is found in ay, uy, ey, and oy.

Consonant-le syllables: These syllables don’t have any vowel sound. The silent e at the syllable’s end is the only vowel. Only the consonant and l are pronounced. Examples are found in table, maple, and purple.