Syllables

[Jannie Zijlstra]

I'd like to know rules that define how to identify syllables in words. None of the native Brits I asked has come up with anything so far. One, (a teacher) said, 'There are no rules'. Yet, I vaguely remember some rules, but not all of them...

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by Jannie Zijlstra

I'd like to know rules that define how to identify syllables in words. None of the native Brits I asked has come up with anything so far. One, (a teacher) said, 'There are no rules'. Yet, I vaguely remember some rules, but not all of them...

There are some rules, but there are also exceptions. Breaking a word into syllables is based on spelling as well as on pronunciation, so things may be different among varieties of English..

Break a word after a long vowel sound.
Break a word after the consonant sound that follows a short vowel.
Break a word between a double consonant (same letter).
Break a word between a root and a prefix or a suffix.
There is only one vowel sound per syllable (but that sound may have more than one vowel).

There may be others, and some may disagree with some of these.