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Glite Dictionary
syllabification

syllabification

6.7
The act of dividing words into parts that each have one vowel sound
  • noun
  • /ˌsɪləˈbɪfɪˌkeɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : silabificación
  • Many students find syllabification useful when learning how to pronounce new words correctly.

Examples

  • In writing classes, understanding syllabification is essential for improving poetry and rhythm.

  • The teacher explained syllabification by dividing the word 'banana' into three syllables: ba-na-na.

  • The use of contractions, it has been claimed, prevents the possibility of auditory analysis and consequently contributes to problems in syllabification (Lowenfeld, 1969).

    Academic text (2010)

  • The syllabic affiliation of other medial clusters is less clear. For example, there is no consensus on the syllabification of words such as candy, which, according to the phonotactics of English, can be syllabified as either 'kn.di' or 'knd.i'.

    Academic text (2015)

Synonyms

syllabication
vssyllabification
  • Specialized
7.1

Dividing words into parts called syllables

emphasizes division according to established rules rather than general practice

How Formal

syllabification
  • Specialized
6.7
syllabication
  • Specialized
7.1

Surface Forms

syllabification singular
syllabifications plural

Morphology

syllabification = syllabify (semi-transparent) = syllable + ify + ation

This is a regular noun formation from the verb "syllabify", and the meaning as a process is directly recoverable from the base.

Etymology

The word syllabification comes from the common word syllable ('a sound part' of a word) and the ending -fication ('making' or 'the act of'), so syllabification simply means the act of 'making' or showing syllables — dividing words into their sound parts.