Syllables factsheet

Syllables are chunks of sound.
All words have at least one syllable.
Syllables can be just one letter or a group of letters - it's the sound that matters.
One way to understand what syllables are is to think of a song, like "Happy Birthday".
Each syllable is a different beat in the song, i.e: "Hap - py  Birth - day  to  you"
If you say these words aloud you will hear the chunks or beats of sound:

In English, syllables normally have a vowel or the letter 'y' in them.

This can help you to learn how to spell words correctly.

Some syllables are used in lots of words.

This is also useful for spelling words. If you learn the syllable in one word you can use it in others.

In English words, some syllables are stressed more than others; We say them more forcefully. Usually, English words stress the first syllable.

Be careful though, because the stress on words with a prefix usually changes to the second syllable rather than the first, for example hap - py or un - hap - py.

This can help when you are reading a new word and you're not sure how to say it