Syllable

A syllable is a unit of organization for speech sounds. In most languages it is built around a syllable nucleus, typically a vowel, which may be preceded by an onset and followed by a coda. The onset comprises consonants before the nucleus, the coda comprises consonants after it. Some languages also allow a syllabic consonant to function as the nucleus. The structure can be described as (onset) – nucleus – (coda).

Syllables come in types and configurations. Open syllables end in a vowel (as in go), while closed syllables end in a consonant (as in dog). Onsets can be single consonants or clusters; codas can be one or more consonants in many languages. English, for example, permits complex onsets like str- and codas like -lth. Nuclei are usually vowels, but some languages use syllabic consonants as nuclei, such as the l in certain pronunciations of bottle in some dialects.

Syllables are central to phonology and prosody. They determine stress patterns and timing in many languages, influence rhyme in poetry, and aid in syllabification for pronunciation and spelling. In orthography, syllable boundaries may or may not align with written letters; some languages employ syllable-based writing systems, while most use alphabets. In Japanese, each kana character represents a syllable; in contrast, English syllables are not always easily predicted from spelling.

Counting syllables is common in education and language technology. Tools count vowels in writing, with considerations for diphthongs, silent letters, and rhotic vowels. Syllables underpin linguistics, language teaching, speech synthesis, and recognition.