Syllables Are Built Around Vowel Sounds

Count the vowel sounds in a word to find how many syllables it has.

Every syllable has exactly one vowel sound. That is the secret to cutting long words into pieces you can read. Notice that we count vowel SOUNDS, not vowel letters. The word 'boat' has two vowel letters, o and a, but they make one sound, so 'boat' has one syllable. The word 'make' ends in a silent e, which makes no sound, so 'make' is still one syllable. Try 'basketball'.

Find the vowel sounds: the a in 'bas', the e in 'ket', and the a in 'ball'. Three vowel sounds means three syllables: bas-ket-ball. Put a hand under your chin and say the word slowly; your jaw drops once for each vowel sound, which is a good way to check yourself.

• 1One syllable = one vowel sound.
• 2Count sounds, not letters: silent e and vowel teams can trick you.
• 3Your chin drops once for each syllable you say.