Vocabulary Match
Grow your English vocabulary with a free, browser-based matching game. See a word, pick its correct meaning, and build retention through play.
WordsCount the Syllables
A syllable is one vowel sound, not one vowel letter. Below: how to count by ear, the silent-e exception, and why hyphenation dictionaries are the authority.
Choose your difficulty
Pick a level to start playing. You can switch at any time.
How to play
Say the word out loud, then tap how many beats it has.
Tip: your progress and best score are saved in this browser only.
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WordsWhat you are actually practicing
A syllable is one vowel sound, not one vowel letter. Table has two; beautiful has three; university has five. Counting them is a listening skill, and it is the skill behind spelling rules like doubling a consonant before -ing.
The written word is a poor guide here, which is why the game asks you to say it rather than look at it.
How the game works
You are shown a word and four counts. Pick how many syllables it has. A wrong pick reveals the answer immediately.
Easy uses one- and two-syllable words. Medium widens the set. Hard uses the longer words where the count is genuinely surprising.
The rules worth knowing
One vowel sound per syllable. Cat has one, pencil has two, banana has three.
Silent final e adds no syllable. Table is two, not three — the e is not pronounced.
-tion and -sion are one syllable each. Information is four: in-for-ma-tion.
-le after a consonant is its own syllable. Table is ta-ble, which is why it counts two.
Strategies that actually raise your score
Say it and clap. Beats on the stressed parts of the word; the number of beats is the answer. Reading silently is what causes errors here.
Count the vowel groups, then subtract one for a silent final e. Banana has three groups, no silent e, three syllables. Table has two groups plus a silent e — and the -le rule puts it back to two.
Be careful with long words. University looks like it should have four; it has five. Long words are where guessing fails and saying it works.
Trust the dictionary split over your own count. For words like comfortable and restaurant pronunciation varies, so the dictionary's hyphenation is the authority.