What are the parts and types of syllables?

Syllables are the beat or unit of sound that make up words.

Parts of a Syllable

Onset

The onset of a syllable can be a consonant or consonant cluster. 

• Examples: breeze, ham, legs

Rhyme (or Rime)

The rhyme is made up of the nucleus and the coda. 

The nucleus is where the vowel sound is. Every syllable must have a vowel sound. This can be a single vowel (Examples: a, o, u), or a diphthong (ea, ie, ou, etc…). You cannot have an English syllable that does not have a vowel sound. 

• Examples: green, quick, world

The second part of the rhyme is the coda. The coda are any consonants that follow the nucleus. 

• Examples: coat, marks, wrist

It’s important to note that not every syllable needs to have a consonant, but they must have a vowel sound. 

Types of Syllables

Open syllables

Open syllables have an onset and a nucleus, but do not have a coda. 

• Examples: me, cow, tea, die, zoo

Closed syllables

Closed syllables have a coda.

• Examples: cup, hat, rev, and, mix, porch