Definition

1. Noun:
   • A unit of spoken language: A syllable is a single, unbroken sound of a spoken (or written) word. It is a building block of a word's pronunciation, typically containing a vowel sound (or a vowel-like sound) with or without surrounding consonant sounds. Syllables are larger than individual speech sounds (phonemes) but smaller than whole words.

Usage

• A syllable is the basic rhythmic unit in speech. Words can be divided into one or more syllables.
• The number of syllables in a word often determines its rhythm and stress pattern in English.
• The concept is used in linguistics, poetry (for meter), and language learning (for pronunciation).

Examples

• One-syllable words: "cat" (/kæt/), "strength" (/strɛŋθ/), "I" (/aɪ/).
• Two-syllable words: "pocket" (/ˈpɒk.ɪt/), "water" (/ˈwɔː.tər/), "happy" (/ˈhæp.i/).
• Three-syllable words: "beautiful" (/ˈbjuː.tɪ.fəl/), "computer" (/kəmˈpjuː.tər/).
• In a sentence:

Advanced Usage

• Syllable-timed vs. Stress-timed languages: English is a stress-timed language, meaning the time between stressed syllables tends to be equal, regardless of the number of unstressed syllables. This contrasts with syllable-timed languages (e.g., French, Spanish), where each syllable takes roughly the same amount of time.
• Syllable structure: Linguists analyze syllables in terms of onset (initial consonants), nucleus (the vowel sound, which is the core), and coda (final consonants). For example, in the syllable "cat" /kæt/, /k/ is the onset, /æ/ is the nucleus, and /t/ is the coda.
• Syllabic consonant: Sometimes a consonant, like /l/, /n/, or /m/, can form the nucleus of a syllable without a vowel, as in the second syllable of "button" (/ˈbʌt.n̩/).

Variants and Related Words

• Syllabic (adjective): Relating to or forming a syllable.
  • The 'n' in 'button' is a syllabic consonant.
• Syllabary (noun): A set of written characters representing syllables (e.g., in Japanese kana).
• Syllabify / Syllabicate (verb): To divide a word into its constituent syllables.
  • The dictionary entry shows how to syllabify the word.

Synonyms

• Speech unit
• Phonological unit

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Not a syllable!: An idiom or exclamation meaning "Don't say a word!" or "Keep quiet!"
  • When the secret was revealed, she said, "Not a syllable to anyone!"
• In words of one syllable: Using very simple and clear language.
  • Let me explain it in words of one syllable so everyone can understand.
• To the last syllable: Completely or in every detail.
  • He remembered the poem to the last syllable.

Noun

1. a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
   • the word `pocket' has two syllables