Pronunciation

Syllable Types

Syllable – a word, or part of a word, that has one vowel sound; counting syllables means you are counting vowel sounds
"What is a Syllable?" on Neuhaus Academy
"What is a Syllable? (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

There are six different types of syllables in the English language. Knowing the types of syllables gives the reader a strategy to decode an unfamiliar word and not rely on guessing.

Open Syllable - An open syllable is a word or part of a word that ends in one vowel. The vowel is long or says its name. (e.g. he, so, hi, cogent, compliant)
"Open Syllables (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

Closed Syllable - A closed syllable is a word or part of a word that ends in at least one consonant after one vowel. The vowel in a closed syllable makes its short sound. (e.g. bat, clock, aberration, description)
"Closed Syllables (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable - A vowel consonant e syllable has 1 vowel, 1 consonant, and a final e. The e is silent and the vowel is long or says it name. (e.g. cake, like, impute, bellicose)
"Vowel-Consonant-e Syllables (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

Vowel-r or r-Controlled Syllable - A vowel-r syllable is a word or part of a word that has an r after the vowel. The vowel is not short but makes an unexpected, but reliable sound. (e.g. her, far, bird, corn, burn, parched, brokerage)
"Vowel-r Syllables (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

Vowel Pair Syllable - A vowel pair syllable has two adjacent or side by side vowels. (e.g. feet, boat, disdain, feasible)
"Vowel Pair Syllables (Hand Gestures) on YouTube

Final Stable Syllable - A final stable syllable is part of a word that always comes at the end of a word. A final stable syllable is always stable or reliable in its pronunciation and spelling. (e.g. candle, giggle, aberration, heritage)
"Final Stable Syllable tion" on Neuhaus Academy
"Final Consonant -le Words" on Neuhaus Academy
"Final Stable Syllables (Hand Gestures)" on YouTube

Syllable Division Patterns

patterns that determine the division of words with two or more syllables; the most common patterns in the English language are VCCV and VCV

VCCV - A common pattern in English is the VCCV pattern. In this pattern, there are two consonants between two vowels. This pattern appears in words such as: napkin, combine, and secret.
"VCCV Syllable Division" on Reading Teachers Network

VCV - Another common pattern in the English language is the VCV (vowel-consonant-vowel) pattern. In this pattern, there is one consonant between two vowels. This pattern appears in words such as rotate, event, and cabin.
"VCV Syllable Division" on Reading Teachers Network

VCCCV - The VCCCV (vowel-consonant-consonant-consonant-vowel) is another pattern. In this pattern, there are three consonants between two vowels. This pattern appears in words such as lobster, surprise, and pumpkin.
"VCCCV Syllable Division" on Reading Teachers Network

VV - This is VV (vowel-vowel) pattern. In this pattern, there are two adjacent or side by side vowels that do not form a vowel pair. This pattern appears in words such as chaos, boa, and duet.
"VV Syllable Division" on Reading Teachers Network