7 Syllable Types to Teach in Upper Elementary

Something that will help your students become stronger readers is having the ability to recognize and read big words. By giving your students tools to help them break apart big words, you are setting them up to be more successful readers. 

One of the tools that will help your students decode big words is understanding the seven syllable types in this post. Students can read more accurately and fluently when they know the types of syllables and the rules for syllable division. Providing lessons and support on syllable types is beneficial, even in upper elementary. 

What is a syllable? 

• A syllable is a single unit of pronunciation that has one vowel sound. 
• It can contain consonants, but the vowel sound is what determines the syllable. 
• Words can have a single syllable or multiple syllables. 

Helping your students gain knowledge of syllable types will empower them as readers. 

7 Syllable Types to Teach:

• Closed Syllables
• Open Syllables
• Magic E Syllables
• Vowel Team Syllables
• R Controlled Syllables
• Consonant -le
• Final Stable Syllables

As you introduce various syllable types to your students, always let them know the goal is to become really confident readers and understanding types of syllables is one way to do that!

Closed Syllables

A closed syllable is any syllable that ends with a consonant. The vowel sound in most closed syllables is usually the short vowel sound. This syllable type is the most common in English, making up nearly 50% of the syllables read. 

• The vowels in closed syllables usually have a short vowel sound.
• There can be more than one consonant (think consonant blends) behind the vowel in a single syllable.
• There doesn’t have to be a consonant in front -of the vowel for it to be closed. The important thing is that the syllable ends in a consonant. 

Here are some examples of words with closed syllables:

• napkin
• ship
• sunset
• fantastic

More examples of closed syllable words:

• 1 syllable words with closed syllables: cat, slug, dent, fog, van
• 2 syllable words: pocket, index, cabin, sandwich
• 3 syllable words: fantastic, admonish, establish, Atlantic

What’s the exception to the rule?
Depending on the blend of the end word, some closed syllables will have a long vowel sound, like wild or cold.  

Open Syllables 

An open syllable is any syllable that ends with a vowel. There is no consonant at the end of the syllable to make it closed. 

• The ending vowel sound in an open syllable is usually the long vowel sound (the name of the vowel). 
• In a single syllable, there can be more than one consonant in front of the vowel. 
• The important thing is that open syllables end in a vowel. 

Here are some examples of words with closed syllables:

*The open syllables have been bolded. 

• broken
• she
• begin
• comprehend

Here are some more examples:

• 1 syllable words: go, we, hi, be
• 2 syllable words: minus, item, global, focus, vacant
• 3 syllable words: tomato, reprogram, museum 

What’s the exception to the rule?
An open syllable won’t have the long vowel sound in some multisyllabic words—examples: animal or complicated. 

Magic E Syllables 

When a syllable has the pattern VCe (vowel + consonant + e), the e is silent. 

• The magic e has nine different jobs, but it often gives the vowel a long sound. 
• The magic e syllable type usually appears at the end of the word, but you might notice it in the middle of some words, especially compound words. 

Here are some examples of words with this syllable type: 

• kite
• complete
• Valentine
• snake 

Here are some more examples:

• 1 syllable words: tape, cute, slide, hope
• 2 syllable words: female, timeline, escape, locate 
• 3 syllable words: demonstrate, incomplete, illustrate 

What’s the exception to the rule?
The magic e doesn’t always give the vowel a long sound. Remember, the silent e has nine jobs, and making the vowel long is just one of them! 

Vowel Team Syllables

Vowel teams are when two vowels work together to make one vowel sound. These are sometimes referred to as vowel digraphs. 

• Vowel teams can be vowel digraphs and diphthongs. 
• Vowel digraphs include teams like oa in boat, ai in pain, and ea in meat. 
• Vowel diphthongs are a special type of vowel team where the two vowels make a new sound, like oi in coin or ow in cow. 

Here are some examples of words with vowel teams: 

• raincoat 
• snout
• peanut 
• employee

Here are some more examples:

• 1 syllable words: cheek, rain, moon, snow
• 2 syllable words: compound, enjoy, repeat, preheat 
• 3 syllable words: unafraid, recounted, outstanding 

What’s the exception to the rule?
Sometimes when two vowels are together, they need to be divided into two syllables like create, violin, and fluid. 

R Controlled Syllables

When the letter r follows a vowel, it creates an r-controlled syllable. The r will influence the sound the vowel makes. 

• An r controlled syllable looks like a closed syllable. But unlike a closed syllable, in an r controlled syllable the r controls the sound, and the vowel doesn’t make its expected sound.
• When you see a vowel followed by an r, they usually stay together in the same syllable. 

Here are some examples of words with r controlled syllables: 

• Farmer
• Spark
• Carpet
• Entertainer

Here are some more examples:

• 1 syllable words: bark, fort, chirp, lurk
• 2 syllable words: barnyard, absurd, barber, perfect
• 3 syllable words: comforting, peppermint, minister 

What’s the exception to the rule?
The vowel sound will be different if the r is followed by another r like berry, cherry, sorry. 

Consonant -le Syllables

There are three-letter combinations that can make the /ǝl/ sound. These three combinations, and the consonant in front of them, can make up the final stable syllable of some words. 

• The three letter combinations that make the the /ǝl/ sound are: -le, -al, and -el. 
• Most words that end with the /ǝl/ sound end in the letter combination -le. 
• This syllable type is usually the final syllable in the word.

Here are some examples of words with this syllable type: 

• turtle
• counsel
• global
• timetable

Here are some more examples:

• 2 syllable words: table, purple, mumble, drizzle 
• 3 syllable words: eternal, disable, unstable, resemble 

What’s the exception to the rule?
If the syllable has an -stle ending, then the t is silent. Examples: castle, whistle, hustle, and bustle.

Final Stable Syllables

A final stable syllable has a combination of letters that make a unique sound. That sound is stable (consistent) and will always sound the same. 

• Two examples of final stable syllables are -tion and -ture. 
• The letter combination -tion will always sound like /shun/ at the end of a word. 
• The letter combinations -ture will always sound like /chur/ at the end of a word. 

Here are some examples of words with this syllable type: 

• Information 
• Caption
• Action
• Fracture 

Here are some more examples:

• 2 syllable words: option, action, fraction, caution 
• 3 syllable words: solution, inspection, completion, detention 

What’s the exception to the rule?
You might also see words that end in -sion. This final stable syllable can also make the /shun/ sound like in decision, discussion, or profession. 

If you are ready to start teaching syllable types with your students, check out my Syllable Types resource on TpT. This set of lesson plans, anchor charts, and activities will help you review some basic concepts of syllables as well as introduce your students to the different types of syllables. For each syllable type, students will see examples of one, two, and three-syllable words so they can start to transition what they know about syllables to their reading!

Put It Into Practice:

1. Don’t forget to download my free Root Word Reference Sheet. This resource will help your students remember common Greek & Latin Root Words. This reference sheet has definitions and examples for 40 common root words as well as picture cues! This is a great resource to support your lessons on syllable types.
2. Check out Episode #95 of the podcast to learn the Do’s and Don’ts of Word Study to help you get feel more confident teaching types of syllables and other word study concepts.
3. Join us inside The Stellar Literacy Collective, where you will get access to a resource library filled with reading resources to support your students with word study concepts this school year!

Happy Teaching!