How do you spell syllable

What is a syllable? | TheSchoolRun

Syllables explained for parents, including details of how primary-school children are taught to identify syllables to help them with spelling and reading and understanding poetry.

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What is a syllable?

A syllable is a single, unbroken sound of a spoken (or written) word. Syllables usually contain a vowel and accompanying consonants. Sometimes syllables are referred to as the ‘beats’ of spoken language.

Syllables differ from phonemes in that a phoneme is the smallest unit of sound; the number of syllables in a word is unrelated to the number of phonemes it contains. For example: /b/, /k/, /t/, /ch/, /sh/, /ee/, /ai/, /igh/, /ear/ are all phonemes. The word ‘chat’ is made up of three phonemes (/ch/ /a/ /t/). The word ‘light’ is made up of three phonemes (/l/ /igh/ /t/).  However, both the words ‘chat’ and ‘light’ have only one syllable each.

The number of times you hear a vowel (a, e, i , o, u) in a word is equal to the number of syllables a word has. A good way to identify syllables is to think about whether you need to change your mouth shape to say the next bit of the word / the new syllable.

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Learning about syllables in primary school

Learning about syllables is part of learning how to decode and spell words. It helps children understand the conventions of English spelling, including when to double letters and how to pronounce the vowels in words they might not have seen before.

Teachers will often get children to clap out the syllables of a word, to help them to understand the concept. (A good game to introduce syllables is to ask each child to stand up and say their name, while clapping out the syllables. )

For example:
 

• Cat   has one syllable (words of one syllable are monosyllabic)
• Water   has two syllables (wa / ter)
• Computer   has three syllables (com / pu / ter)
• Category   has four syllables (cat / e / gor / y)

Syllables in KS1 English

Children in Key Stage 1 will be expected to read words of two syllables. They may be shown how to split the words up into syllables, in order to help them sound them out. For example: if they are shown the word ‘thunder’ and get stuck, a teach may cover the second half of the word (‘der’) and ask them to just sound out the first syllable. Once they have managed this, they uncover the rest of the word and ask them to sound this out.

Children in Key Stage 1 will also learn to spell words with two syllables, at which point they will be encouraged to separate the two syllables themselves, in order to learn the spelling of the whole word.

Syllables in KS2 English

During Key Stage 2, children will progress to learning the spellings of words containing four syllables (or possibly more). They also learn about the use of syllables in poetry.

Children may learn about syllables through writing haikus. A haiku is a Japanese poem with three lines, the first containing 5 syllables, the second containing 7 syllables and the third containing 5 syllables.

This is a haiku about a frog:

Wet amphibian,
Gulps, blinks and flicks out his tongue
To snatch a black fly.

Writing haikus encourages children to think about syllables, but also to think very carefully about their word choices – it may be that one word has too many syllables and does not fit, so they have to think of a new, similar word that fits the given criteria.

Another poetic form based on syllable number is the limerick (the first, second and fifth lines rhyme and have the same number of syllables, usually eight or nine).

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Syllable Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

syl·​la·​ble ˈsi-lə-bəl 

1

: a unit of spoken language that is next bigger than a speech sound and consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or of a syllabic consonant alone or of either with one or more consonant sounds preceding or following

2

: one or more letters (such as syl, la, and ble) in a word (such as syl*la*ble) usually set off from the rest of the word by a centered dot or a hyphen and roughly corresponding to the syllables of spoken language and treated as helps to pronunciation or as guides to placing hyphens at the end of a line

3

: the smallest conceivable expression or unit of something : jot

4

: sol-fa syllables

syllable

2 of 2

transitive verb

1

: to give a number or arrangement of syllables to (a word or verse)

2

: to express or utter in or as if in syllables

Synonyms

Noun

• beans
• bubkes
• bupkes
• bupkus
• continental
• damn
• darn
• durn
• diddly [slang]
• diddly-squat [slang]
• doodley-squat
• doodly-squat
• fig
• ghost
• hoot
• iota
• jot
• lick
• modicum
• rap
• squat [slang]
• tittle
• whit
• whoop

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

Noun The word “doctor” has two syllables. “Doctor” is a two-syllable word. The first syllable of the word “doctor” is given stress.

Recent Examples on the Web

Around him, the others in the crowd of 47,505 broke into a single-syllable chant. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2022 The most obvious comparison with Joy is Vaughan herself — the rich lower register, the baroque melodic ornamentation, swoops up and down octaves from word to word, multi-note melisma stretching one-syllable words to infinity. Jon Garelick, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2022 Here’s the most labyrinthine but most useful spelling rule in U.S. English: Words ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel double the final consonant before the suffix if the accent falls on the last syllable of the root word. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Sep. 2022 Every word, every syllable, every grammatical error was all my fault. Philip Ellis, Men's Health, 1 Aug. 2022 The true pronunciation of the word that means wooly mammoth is ma-MOOT, with the emphasis on the second syllable. Jill Adler, Outside Online, 5 Sep. 2012 Brunson’s character memorably declares, exaggerating each syllable. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 28 June 2022 Brian’s name, in a single syllable, has the irresistible pull of an accidental mantra. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 June 2022 Rounding out the top 10 most polysemous words — each but a single syllable — are, alphabetically, cast, cut, draw, point, serve, strike, and through. Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'syllable. ' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French sillabe, silable, from Latin syllaba, from Greek syllabē, from syllambanein to gather together, from syn- + lambanein to take — more at latch

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of syllable was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Dictionary Entries Near

syllabize

syllable

syllabub

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

Style

MLAChicagoAPAMerriam-Webster

“Syllable. ” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syllable. Accessed 12 Nov. 2022.

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Kids Definition

syllable

syl·​la·​ble

ˈsil-ə-bəl

1

: a unit of spoken language that consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or with one or more consonant sounds preceding or following

2

: one or more letters (as syl, la, and ble) in a word (as syl*la*ble) usually set off from the rest of the word by a centered dot or a hyphen and treated as guides to division at the end of a line

More from Merriam-Webster on

Nglish: Translation of syllable for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of syllable for Arabic Speakers

Britannica. com: Encyclopedia article about syllable

Last Updated: 16 Oct 2022 - Updated example sentences

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

how to spell a word correctly according to the rules of the Russian language

We can write correctly, figuratively and peculiarly. Do we remember in what cases we need to use the verbs "write" and "write"? Let us refresh the knowledge of the Russian language Rules together with the expert

Nadezhda Krymskaya

Author

Elena Sharova

Philologist, a journalist-corrector,
Professional experience of 30 years

in the Russian Difficulties Ponds. We cannot imagine our written speech without verbs, we know about their uniqueness, the ability to revive everything they come into contact with. They encourage action, designate processes and states, and at the same time exist quite comfortably on their own.

And some verbs even sort things out with their counterparts. We are talking about representatives of this part of speech, which form controversial pairs: “stele e those” or “stele and those”, “write e those” or “write and those”? It all depends, as we see, on the property of the word to designate the time of action at the present moment or its superpower to command. Let's take a closer look at the forms that come from the verb "to write."

Write rule

In this variation we use the imperative mood. It turns out that we insist on our own, encourage to action, ask, force, give an order. We add "act!" to the word “write” and we get a logical answer “write”. For example, we can ask for a favor: "Dear, please write more than once a week."

The spelling will be easier to remember thanks to the stress on the second syllable. Everything is simple: if we highlight “and” intonation, then we write it.

You write and those cocky fables.
Aesopian language is not a barrier for you!
And your fuse is not at all dangerous.
There will be a hint and an example for people.

Read also

"Wake" or "will be": how to spell it correctly

Is there a difference between these verbs? Explaining the rules of the Russian language using memorable examples and quotes from films

Examples

• “In this case, write to him, invite him, and I guarantee you that he will not be slow to take advantage of your invitation…” (Vsevolod Solovyov, “Magi”).

• “And look as if you are conducting an investigation – and keep writing, write…” (Anatoly Agarkov, “Journey into the Fifth Power”).

• "Write to me often and, whatever happens, keep your presence of mind" (Louise May Alcott, "Little Women").

• “Hence her early appeal, first of all to herself: “Write, write more!” (Marina Tsvetaeva, Prose).

• “Write and write: what is inside will surely spill out” (Anthology, “Looking Through Light and Shadows”).

The rule “write”

We put the verb “write” in the indicative mood when some direct action is obvious. Then the word will be correctly spelled only through [e] in the second syllable. In this case, the verb answers the question "what are you doing?" The interrogative form is just a guideline. For example: "I see, this time you are painting a still life." "Why are you writing these cartoons?"

Checking with stress will also help you not to make a mistake in a word. If we select the first syllable intonation, then [e] will appear without options in the next (unstressed) syllable.

Write e those about feelings - only tenderness in the lines.
Write e those about the past – the words rustle:
Thoughts seem to go into serenity.
Write e those about happiness - waves of magic.

Read also

"Put on" or "put on":
how to say it correctly

What is the correct way to say “put on” or “put on”? Than to be guided by when choosing the right verb and how easy and without suffering, remember the rules of the Russian language - in the article “Komsomolskaya Pravda”

Examples
9000

• “But what you write about and the way you write is close and dear to me” (Tatyana Shpinkova, “Love and Life”).

• “Write,” corrected Larisa Stepankov, “you have to say: “write”…” (Oleg Roy, Shawl).

• "You write with such extraordinary speed" (Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice").

• "How do you feel when you write?" (Ilma Rakuza, "Measure of the sea. Passages of memory").

• "Your husband told me that you write detective stories, I would like to read - the first thing he says, shaking my hand" (Daria Bignardi, "Love must be earned").

Interesting facts

Can you imagine how many meanings the word “write” has? In Russian, we can say that it works in multitasking mode. In any context, “write” is the very atlas that is destined to support the entire cognitive structure of the sentence. Very often the word is used in the sense of the design of symbols in the construction - sentences and texts: "Do you write?", "Write in simple words, do not load the text with numbers."

The word is also used for visual assessment of handwriting: “You write beautifully and neatly. Calligraphic!"

This word also emphasizes the level of literacy: "Do you write without mistakes?", "Write in accordance with the rules."

In addition, the word indicates the option of presenting information in writing: “What are these hints and body language for? You write, I know, well, you express your thoughts in an accessible form.

The word refers to the process of creating some kind of work: "Write a picture?", "Write stories, poems."

It also denotes a specific action for fixing information on a certain medium: “Are you writing a new track on a flash drive? Store information on an additional device."

The word is also used to define the subject with which the inscriptions appear: “You write this text with a gel pen”, “Are you writing on the wall today with a spray can or a brush?”

Read also

"Eat" or "ride": how to spell it correctly

From food to movement - just one misspelled letter. We tell you how to avoid unnecessary semantic transformations if you have to deal with the words "eat" and "go"

Teachers' Councils

Elena Sharova, philologist, journalist-proofreader; professional experience of 30 years:

- "And you write letters to me in small handwriting, because there is not enough space in the backpack." We will paraphrase the words from this famous song with an appeal to “you” - and they will definitely help us figure out the spelling of the words “write” and “write”. As you can see, the author asks that they send him a letter, filling out the text on paper in a compact form. Please note: in the case when there is a request or requirement, the word stress falls on [and]. Example: "Write clearly, correctly, competently, and then you will be understood."

If the sentence refers to the process of writing something, we are dealing with the word “write” with the stress on the first syllable. Example: “When you write about a poet, you cannot help but think of his poems. If you paint a picture, you try to convey your mood or state.

Test yourself

Have you figured out the spelling of the words? Answer the test questions about the use of the verbs "write" and "write" and see the result.

Touching letters you ...

This story is published, ... also send

you ..., otherwise you can not have time to complete the task on time

Further 9026 1

Now you write about accidents and patterns?

Do you paint in watercolor? Further

Knowledge level should be tightened. Read the rules again.

The level of knowledge needs to be improved. Read the rules again.

The level of knowledge needs to be improved. Read the rules again.

Good result. Train some more.

Good result. Train some more.

Congratulations! Excellent result.

Photo: shutterstock.com

What words do you have trouble writing? Share in the comments:

Comments for the site Cackl e

13 words and phrases that disfigure your Instagram

A person without Instagram is already a rare (if not dying) species. You can publish a photo once every six months, once a year, or even keep your account empty. It is much worse to be an active insta-blogger and write posts with errors. We announce an Instagram fight against illiteracy!

Correct: I will write on my Instagram

Yes, we write Instagram with a lowercase letter and Cyrillic. We suggest you do the same! If only because Instagram has long ceased to be an outlandish app name that someone may not know. This happens with many social networks and instant messengers. Over time, in colloquial speech (in writing too), some words lose quotes and capital letters, as they become common nouns, not names. It's clear to everyone.

Now about the error. Instagram is the social network in which every fifth (but this is inaccurate statistics) strives to double the letter "m". Although there is no reason for this (yes, we know that autocorrect sometimes works this way). The original name of the Instagram app - where is the doubling? So we don't notice. And don't forget about declination: live without instagram, follow on instagram.

That's right: I'm a blogger with my mom

Well done with my mom! Well, except that the blogger is spelled with one "g". It seems that everyone was mistaken in this word when LJ bloggers appeared en masse. The mistake, in fact, is also understandable: foreign words are characterized by doubling the root consonant before the suffix - blog => blogger. In Russian, the practice is different, and doublings are not saved - blog => blogger. Be literate and don't trust the Russian Instagram, which is written in the "blogger" profile. This is the wrong tracing paper from English.

Correct: Do you have an Instagram account?

It's not we who are mocking, but the Russian language. We suffer every day. Yes, the word "account" comes from the English account. When switching to Russian, most borrowings really lose one consonant (office has become an office, and blogger has become a blogger), but not in this case. The account is written with two "k".

Correct: don't forget to put the hashtag #photooftheday

If you still don't know, then you should know: the Russian language is merciless to the letter "e", more precisely, the Russian Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Most of the words that you really want to write with “e” are written in Russian with “e”. Facebook, Halloween, tag, caching, travel and that hashtag. At the same time, these words are pronounced firmly, through the sound [e].

Ahhh. Worse than another popular greeting on Instagram, which sounds like “DD!”. No, this does not apply to the DDT group. This is such a clever abbreviation for "Good afternoon!", Which, apparently, is copied from the English abbreviation GM - Good morning! A sure way to lose followers. Replace with a simple "hello", "good afternoon" or "hello".

Correct: in my last post I wrote

Thank you for not being "in the last post"! Yes, "extreme" in the meaning of "last" is very bad. This has already been written about many times, the turn of the post has come. There is one more post in our life. Fasting in the meaning of "positions", fasting - "place and observation groups", and there is also fasting for believers. So these posts in the prepositional case (more precisely, it is called "local case") have the ending "-y";

We are interested in a completely different "post" when we want to talk about a post on a social network. In this case, the local case is not required and the traditional letter "e" is used at the end. The Gramota.ru website confirms.

Correct: I like the way you write

Our favorite verb, in which even quite literate people make mistakes because they are inattentive or in a hurry. In fact, you can write both “write” and “write”. It's a matter of context. In the imperative mood, we write through "and": "Write comments!". In the second person plural we write "e": "You write with errors." Another simple explanation: under stress we write "and", in an unstressed position - "e". The same rule is followed by the verbs look for / look for and say / say.

Correct: tag two friends in the comments

It seems that someone forgot the long version of this word - "comment". There are as many "m"s in the short colloquial version as there are in the long one (as in the English version of comment).

Correct: look in my gallery

On Instagram, you can post multiple photos in one post — this feature is called a "gallery". The word comes from the Latin galleria - yes, those same two "l" that everyone falls for. However, the Russian "gallery" has come down to us not from English (gallery), but from French (galerie), where one "l" is visible. The French will definitely remember this dictionary word quickly, but the Russian English will have to try hard.

Correct: 15-second story

Instagram has not only “galleries”, but also “stories”, which are often called “stories” in the English manner. They usually last 15 seconds. You can do less or more on IGTV. The main thing is not to lose the hyphen and remember that it is written like this: 15-second stories, 5-minute video.

Correct: the product is in stock

An important word for those who sell something on Instagram. There are no dresses, trousers and bed linen available. Goods can only be "in stock". Rather, check your favorite sellers, and then think about whether you want to order something from them anyway or not.

Correct: check yourself against the checklist

850 thousand results for the query in Google "checklist" and 195 thousand - "checklist". Moreover, the strange hyphenated version is not only popular, but also included in Lopatin's spelling dictionary. Go through the checklist of this literacy and check if everything is in order with your Instagram literacy.

Correct: wrote to her in direct

The most controversial word here.

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