Syllables

Count the beats in a word

Level 2

What is a syllable?

A syllable is one beat in a word. Every syllable has one vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).

Rule: Say the word slowly. Count the beats. One beat = one syllable.

cat — 1 beat — 1 syllable

hap · py — 2 beats — 2 syllables

beau · ti · ful — 3 beats — 3 syllables

in · for · ma · tion — 4 beats — 4 syllables

Say each word with the class. Clap one time for each beat.

Three ways to count

Way	How	Try it
1. Clap	Say the word. Clap one time for each beat.	dog (clap) = 1 · wa · ter (clap, clap) = 2
2. Chin	Put your hand under your chin. Say the word. Your chin goes down one time for each syllable.	spa · ghet · ti = 3
3. Vowel sounds	Count the vowel SOUNDS you hear. Not the letters!	cake = 1 sound (the e is silent)

Quick check: Every word has at least one syllable. If you hear one beat, the answer is 1.

Two careful rules

Silent e: An e at the end of a word is often silent. It is NOT a syllable.

cake = 1 · late = 1 · huge = 1

-le at the end: Words that end in -le have one more beat. The -le IS a syllable.

ta · ble = 2 · lit · tle = 2 · can · dle = 2

Say "late" and "little." Feel the difference under your chin.

Exercise 1 — How many syllables?

Say the word. Clap the beats. Click the number.

1. mother

2. book

3. education

4. Saturday

5. quick

6. telephone

7. friendly

8. incredible

Exercise 2 — Clap and split

Say the word. Clap the beats. How many syllables? Then click to check.

1. pineapple

pine · ap · ple = 3 — The -le at the end is a beat.

2. jacket

jack · et = 2 — Two vowel sounds.

3. cute

cute = 1 — The e at the end is silent.

4. bottle

bot · tle = 2 — The -le at the end is a beat.

5. apologize

a · pol · o · gize = 4 — The last e is silent.

6. animal

an · i · mal = 3 — Three vowel sounds.

Exercise 3 — Find the different word

Three words have the same number of syllables. One word is different. Click the different word.

1. Which word is different?

2. Which word is different?

3. Which word is different?

4. Which word is different?

5. Which word is different?

6. Which word is different?

Why syllables? Look ahead

Next we will compare things: My car is older than your car. The number of syllables in an adjective tells us how to change it.

Adjective group	Example	Next lesson
1 syllable	old, new, slow	old → older
2 syllables, ends in -y	easy, noisy, hungry	easy → easier
2 syllables, no -y	cheerful, helpful, honest	cheerful → more cheerful
3 or more syllables	beautiful, popular, exciting	beautiful → more beautiful

Today: just count the syllables and look at the last letter. The new forms come next lesson.

Exercise 4 — Which group?

Count the syllables. Look at the last letter. Click the group.

1. young

2. colorful

3. pretty

4. modern

5. safe

6. lazy

7. terrible

8. boring

Summary — Syllables

Remember	Example
One beat = one syllable	cat = 1 · hap · py = 2 · beau · ti · ful = 3 · in · for · ma · tion = 4
Count vowel sounds, not letters	cake = 1 (two vowel letters, one sound)
Silent e is not a syllable	late = 1 · huge = 1
-le at the end is a syllable	ta · ble = 2 · lit · tle = 2
Next lesson	1 syllable → -er · ends in -y → -ier · long adjectives → more

End of Deck — Great work!