Syllables and word stress
Counting syllables, open vs closed syllables, and where the stress falls.
A syllable is a unit of sound that contains exactly one vowel sound, so we can count syllables by counting the vowel sounds we hear. For instance, "beautiful" has three syllables (beau-ti-ful) and "cat" has only one. Syllables come in two main types: an open syllable ends in a vowel sound and the vowel is often long, as in "go" and "he", while a closed syllable ends in a consonant sound and the vowel is usually short, as in "cat" and "sit". In words of more than one syllable, one syllable is said with more force and a slightly higher pitch; this is called word stress. We can show stress by writing the stressed syllable in capitals, for example ba-NA-na, where the second syllable is stressed. Stress is important because it can change a word's meaning or its part of speech. Many two-syllable words are nouns when the stress is on the first syllable but verbs when it is on the second syllable. For example: PREsent (a gift, noun) versus preSENT (to give, verb), and the same shift happens with REcord/reCORD and OBject/obJECT.
Key terms
| Word type / Rule | Stress | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Two-syllable word used as a noun | First syllable | PREsent, REcord, OBject |
| Two-syllable word used as a verb | Second syllable | preSENT, reCORD, obJECT |
| Many two-syllable nouns | First syllable | TEA-cher, TA-ble, MOUN-tain |
| Many two-syllable verbs | Second syllable | be-GIN, de-CIDE, ma-CHINE |
| Spelling "desert" as a noun vs verb | DEsert (noun) / deSERT (verb) | the DEsert is hot / soldiers deSERT |
| Word | Syllables (vowel sounds) | Count |
|---|---|---|
| cat | cat | 1 |
| happy | hap-py | 2 |
| banana | ba-na-na | 3 |
| computer | com-pu-ter | 3 |
| education | ed-u-ca-tion | 4 |
| responsibility | re-spon-si-bil-i-ty | 6 |
- 1Listen for vowel sounds: Say the word slowly and count each vowel sound you hear: beau-ti-ful.
- 2Ignore the spelling: The spelling looks long, but you only hear three vowel sounds, not four.
- 3Count: Three vowel sounds = three syllables. "Beautiful" has 3 syllables.
- 1Find the part of speech: In "Please give me that present," the word "present" means a gift, so it is a noun.
- 2Apply the rule: Two-syllable nouns are usually stressed on the first syllable; verbs on the second.
- 3Mark the stress: The noun is PREsent (first syllable). The verb "to present" would be preSENT (second syllable).
Do not count syllables from the spelling. Say the word naturally and count vowel sounds: "interesting" is in-tres-ting = 3, and "comfortable" is comf-ta-ble = 3, not 4.
Silent letters do not add a syllable. "Made" has one syllable, not two, because the final "e" is silent.
Decide the part of speech before you place the stress. The same spelling shifts: a gift is PREsent (noun), but to give is preSENT (verb); the same goes for REcord/reCORD, OBject/obJECT, and DEsert/deSERT.
Test open vs closed by the last sound. If a syllable ends in a vowel sound it is open (go, he, ze-ro); if it ends in a consonant sound it is closed (cat, sit, ho-tel).
Rules
- 1Count syllables by counting the vowel sounds: one vowel sound = one syllable ("family" = fam-i-ly = 3).
- 2An open syllable ends in a vowel sound and the vowel is usually long (go, he, she); a closed syllable ends in a consonant and the vowel is usually short (cat, sit, dog).
- 3Word stress is the syllable spoken with more force; mark it in capitals, e.g. ba-NA-na (2nd syllable stressed).
- 4Stress can change part of speech: nouns often stress the first syllable, verbs the second (PREsent vs preSENT, OBject vs obJECT).
- 5Every syllable has exactly one vowel sound, but silent letters do not add syllables ("made" = 1 syllable, not 2).
Practice
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