Meaning & use
a syllable
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound, often with consonants around it, and forms part of a word.
Grammar: Countable; used in linguistics and language learning. Often appears in phrases like 'one-syllable word'.
Patterns
- a one-syllable word
- count the syllables
- stress a syllable
The word 'apple' has two syllables.
In English, every syllable has a vowel sound.
She emphasized the first syllable of the word.
nouncountablefigurative
A very small part of spoken or written language.
Grammar: Countable; often used in negative statements to mean 'not even a small amount'.
Patterns
- not a syllable
- without a syllable
He did not say a syllable about the plan.
She left without a syllable of explanation.
Word forms
| plural | syllables |
|---|
Common combinations
- one-syllable word
- 'Dog' is a one-syllable word.
- stress a syllable
- In 'record' (noun), you stress the first syllable.
- count syllables
- The teacher asked us to count the syllables in each word.
- syllable structure
- Linguists study syllable structure in different languages.
Word family
- syllabic adjective
- Relating to syllables.
- syllabify verb
- To divide a word into syllables.
Commonly confused: a syllable or syllabus?
a syllable vs syllabus
A syllabus is a plan of study for a course; a syllable is a unit of pronunciation.
Practice
How many syllables are in the word 'banana'?
Choose one answer.
'Banana' is pronounced /bəˈnɑːnə/ and has three vowel sounds, so it has three syllables. One or two would be too few, and four would be too many.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a syllable”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.