verb
- to divide a word into syllables
Usage: linguistics; phonetics
Examples
- Students learn to syllabify words to improve their spelling.
- The teacher asked us to syllabify the word ‘elephant’ as ‘el-e-phant’.
- Poetry analysis often requires you to syllabify each line to determine the meter.
- The dictionary shows how to syllabify complex words with hyphens.
- Children syllabify words by clapping for each syllable they hear.
- Learning to syllabify helps with pronunciation of unfamiliar words.