English words are built from six syllable types. Knowing them tells a reader what sound the vowel will make — which is why phonics programs (and the Orton–Gillingham approach) teach them explicitly. Here are all six, with examples.
1. Closed syllables (VC)
A closed syllable ends in a consonant, which "closes in" the vowel and keeps it short. This is the most common syllable type in English.
cat, wish, rab·bit (both syllables closed), nap·kin
2. Open syllables (CV)
An open syllable ends in a vowel, and that vowel is usually long — it "says its name."
go, me, ta·ble (first syllable open, long a), mu·sic
3. Silent e syllables (VCe)
A vowel–consonant–e syllable ends in a silent e that makes the vowel before it long.
cake, ride, com·pete, mis·take
4. Vowel team syllables
Two (or more) vowels work together to spell a single vowel sound.
boat, rain, tea·cher, play·ground
5. R-controlled syllables
When a vowel is followed by r, the r changes ("controls") the vowel sound — it's neither long nor short.
car, bird, cor·ner (both syllables r-controlled), tur·tle (first syllable)
6. Consonant-le syllables (C-le)
A final syllable made of a consonant plus le, as in -ble, -tle, -ple. It's always the last syllable of a word. The syllable before it can be open with a long vowel (ta·ble) or closed with a short vowel (ap·ple — short /a/, because the first syllable is closed).
ta·ble (open + C-le), ap·ple (closed + C-le), lit·tle, pur·ple
A note on stressed syllables
Stress isn't a syllable type, but it matters just as much: one syllable in every multi-syllable word is pronounced more strongly. Sometimes stress even changes meaning — PRO·duce (fruits and vegetables) versus pro·DUCE (to make something). Read more in our guide to syllable stress patterns.
Put it into practice
- Check any word's breakdown with the syllable counter.
- Review the syllable counting rules.
- Play our syllable games for kids or print a worksheet.