syllable

noun syl·la·ble \ ˈsi-lə-bəl \

Definition of syllable

1 :a unit of spoken language that is next bigger than a speech sound and consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or of a syllabic consonant alone or of either with one or more consonant sounds preceding or following

2 :one or more letters (such as syl, la, and ble) in a word (such as syl*la*ble) usually set off from the rest of the word by a centered dot or a hyphen and roughly corresponding to the syllables of spoken language and treated as helps to pronunciation or as guides to placing hyphens at the end of a line

3 :the smallest conceivable expression or unit of something :jot

4 :sol-fa syllables

See syllable defined for English-language learners

See syllable defined for kids

Examples of syllable in a Sentence

The word “doctor” has two syllables.
“Doctor” is a two-syllable word.
The first syllable of the word “doctor” is given stress.

Recent Examples of syllable from the Web

What if every syllable of that sentence took three years?

— author: rick sinnott, Alaska Dispatch News, "Anchorage’s own Noah: A boat builder’s 30-year obsession comes together at last," 26 Aug. 2017
In most languages, those words would be two syllables, not one.

— david lyman, Cincinnati.com, "Ky. club offers comfortable place to learn English," 25 Aug. 2017
The best moment in the song is the very end, though; over the last few seconds, the music cuts out and Smith delivers the final syllables playfully before dissolving into a giggle.

— noah berlatsky, Chicago Reader, "British R&B newcomer Jorja Smith does an old groove proud," 10 Aug. 2017
The more energized extraordinary (the fisticuffs one), however, is pronounced more forcefully, with the second and third syllables smashed together into one long vowel: ex-TRORD-inary.

— ruth walker, The Christian Science Monitor, "Putting the ‘roar’ into extraordinary," 3 Aug. 2017
Presenting the Bentley Motors Continental GT Convertible Galene Edition by Mulliner, a car with nearly as many syllables in its name as examples being built.

— tony markovich, Car and Driver, "Lost at Sea: Mulliner Puts a Boat Deck inside a Bentley Continental GT’s Trunk," 25 July 2017
For oxen, far less prone to sudden movements than horses, two syllables pose no real problem.

— sue wunder, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why he’s ‘Ben,’ not ‘Odysseus’," 19 July 2017
In this breathless song, the vocal line is nonstop, with dizzying bursts of curt sounds and syllables.

— anthony tommasini, New York Times, "A Dazzling Chinese Singer’s Riveting Song Cycle," 16 July 2017
In one stroke, Weiss and Benioff transformed what had been a long-running Game of Thrones joke into one of the most poignant two-syllable words of all time.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: The Most Upsetting, Ironic, and Brutal Dying Words," 12 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'syllable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of syllable

Middle English, from Anglo-French sillabe, silable, from Latin syllaba, from Greek syllabē, from syllambanein to gather together, from syn- + lambanein to take — more at latch

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

syllable Synonyms

Synonyms

beans, bubkes (also bupkes or bupkus), continental, damn, darn (also durn), diddly [slang], diddly-squat [slang], doodley-squat (or doodly-squat), fig, ghost, hoot, iota, lick, modicum, rap, squat [slang], jot, tittle, whit, whoop

Related Words

ace, bit, crumb, dab, driblet, glimmer, hint, little, mite, nip, ounce, particle, peanuts, pin, ray, scrap, scruple, semblance, shade, shadow, shred, skosh, smidgen (also smidgeon or smidgin or smidge), snap, speck, spot, sprinkling, strain, streak, suspicion, touch, trace

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

syllable

verb

Definition of syllable

syllabled; syllabling play \-b(ə-)liŋ\

transitive verb

1 :to give a number or arrangement of syllables to (a word or verse)

2 :to express or utter in or as if in syllables

First Known Use of syllable

15th century

Other Grammar and Linguistics Terms

ablaut, allusion, anacoluthon, diacritic, gerund, idiom, infinitive, metaphor, semiotics, simile

SYLLABLE Defined for English Language Learners

syllable

noun

Definition of syllable for English Language Learners

: any one of the parts into which a word is naturally divided when it is pronounced

SYLLABLE Defined for Kids

syllable

noun syl·la·ble \ ˈsi-lə-bəl \

Definition of syllable for Students

1 :a unit of spoken language that consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or with one or more consonant sounds coming before or following

2 :one or more letters (as syl, la, and ble) in a written word (as syl*la*ble) usually separated from the rest of the word by a centered dot or a hyphen and used as guides to the division of the word at the end of a line