A division sillabic (in Spanish, theredivision syllabic) is the process of decomposing a word into the different sound units that compose it, in which there is at least one vowel and one or more consonants. These rules follow a phonetic logic — the sounds of speech — rather than a morphological one — the structure, classification and formation of words. In this article, you will learn the rules for syllable separation of words in Spanish language.
Read too: Elalphabet — the alphabet in spanish
Topics of this article
- 1 - What are the rules for syllabic division in Spanish?
- 2 - Solved exercises on syllabic division in Spanish (la división silábica)
What are the rules for syllabic division in Spanish?
To make syllabic separation in Spanish, you must follow some rules. See each of them below.
Every syllable must have a vowel, and it alone can be a syllable too:
honey (honey) – 1 syllable
kiss (kiss) – 2 syllables
staff (personal) – 3 syllables
marriage (marriage, couple) – 4 syllables
simply (simply) – 5 syllables
If a consonant is between two vowels, it is on the syllable of the following vowel:
Allah – a-la (wing)
love - love love)
aorta – a-or-ta (aorta)
When there are two consonants in a row (pr, dr, br, cr, fr, gr, kr, tr, fl, kl, cl, bl, pl, gl and ch), they remain in the same syllable as the vowel that follows them:
drama – drama (drama)
pipe – ca-chi-to (little piece)
pueblo – pue-blo (town, people)
The geminate — double — consonants (rr, ll) correspond to a single sound and are therefore considered as a single consonant:
it rains – llu-via (rain)
dog – pe-rro (dog)
street – ca-lle (street)
the syllables who, who, who, who correspond to a single sound:
war – war (war)
penguin –pin-gui-no (penguin)
cheese – que-so (cheese)
kimono – chi-mo-no (kimono)
When a consonant is between two vowels, the first joins the preceding vowel and the second joins the following:
observation – ob-ser-va-ción (observation)
intensity – in-ten-si-dad (intensity)
If there are three consonants, the first two are on the syllable of the first vowel:
constancy – cons-tan-cia (constancy, police report)
However, if the middle consonant is p, b, c, g, t or d and the last one is l or r, the rule is inverted: the first consonant is in the syllable of the first vowel and the others, in the following syllable:
sadden – en-tris-te-cer (sadden)
enclave – en-cla-ve (enclave)
When there are four consonants between vowels, the first two join the preceding vowel, and the last two the following:
inscribe – ins-cri-bir (inscribe)
obstruction – obs-truc-ción (obstruction)
If the letter H is interspersed, we must pay attention.
→ The letter H can be between vowels that form a syllable:
prohibition – pro-hi-bi-ción (prohibition)
→ If the letter H is between vowels that do not form a syllable, it takes the following syllable:
buho – bu-ho (owl)
→ If the letter H goes after a consonant, they are placed in different syllables:
inhale – in-ha-lar (inhale)
inhuman – in-hu-ma-no (inhuman)
When there are two or more vowels in a row, we must pay attention to their classification as diphthong, triphthong or hiatus:
→ The vowels stay together if they form a diphthong — the joining of two weak vowels (i, u), a strong vowel (the, and, the) and a weak vowel (i, o) or vice versa (one weak and one strong).
caution – caution her (caution)
boredom – fa-ti-dia (annoys, bothers)
→ The vowels also stick together if they form a triphthong — a weak vowel between two strong vowels:
current – ac-tuáis (act – you)
→ Vowels are separated if they form a hiatus:
air – a-é-reo (aerial)
venia – ve-ní-a (vineyard)
See too: Los heterogenéricos y heterotônicos en español
Solved exercises on syllabic division in Spanish (the syllabic division)
question 1
Separate the syllables from each word that follows:
A) gypsy
B) rush
C) hallar
D) help
E) aguileña
Resolution:
A) gi-ta-no
B) a-pre-su-rar
C) ha-llar
D) so-co-rro
E) a-gui-le-ña
Do not stop now... There's more after the publicity ;)
question 2
Separate the syllables from each word that follows:
A) jail
B) gymnastics
C) secretariat
D) secretary
E) good luck
Resolution:
A) car-cell
B) gin-na-sia
C) se-cre-ta-ria
D) se-cre-ta-rí-a
E) a-za-har
By Renata Martins Gornattes
Spanish teacher
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
GORNATTES, Renata Martins. "Syllable division in Spanish"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/espanhol/divisao-silabica-em-espanhol.htm. Accessed on June 8, 2023.
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