Effective Decoding Instruction for Diverse
Learners
A Study Group Series
Six Syllable Types
Syllable
A spoken unit that must have a vowel and that includes the
consonants that precede or follow that vowel. [A word or part of a word
made by one push of breath and has at least one vowel.]
1. Closed Syllable
- One vowel "closed in" by one or more consonants; the vowel sound is short.
- e.g. it, hop, slap, chest, upset, contract
2. Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
- One vowel, one consonant, final e; the first vowel sound is long, the e is silent.
- e.g. ate, cube, chose, homemade, sunrise, complete
3. Open Syllable
- One vowel that is the last letter in the syllable (open, not closed in); vowel sound is long.
- e.g. no, flu, she, why, secret, vacate,
triumphant
4. Vowel Team Syllable
- A vowel digraph (two vowels together that represent one sound;
it may be long or short) OR
a vowel dipthong (a vowel sound that slides into another sound).
- e.g. digraphs: rain, tray, sleep, oak,
- e.g. dipthongs: spoil, flew, boy, shout
5. Vowel+R Syllable
- One vowel followed by an r; vowel sound is neither long nor
short, it is coarticulated with the r.
- e.g. car, perch, third, storm, turn
6. Consonant-le Syllable
- One consonant plus le; the vowel e is silent (every
syllable needs a vowel). This syllable
must be the last syllable of a multisyllabic
word.
- e.g. simple, cradle, needle,
turtle
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Last modified: Mon Apr 5 19:58:08 EDT 1999