Polar Games
Guide

One, two and three syllable words: lists

How to count syllables, lists of one, two, three and multisyllabic words, and simple rules for dividing words into syllables.

By Polarzinho ·

Polarzinho clapping in a garden as the syllables BA, NA and NA float above him on colorful tiles

Pan-da. Bam-boo. Hip-po-pot-a-mus. Counting syllables is like clapping for every beat of a word. I clap with my paws, which is cuter.

Here is how to count syllables, lists of one, two, three and multisyllabic words, and simple rules for dividing words.

Play Letter River Play Stop!

How to count syllables

  1. Clap: say the word slowly and clap for each beat.
  2. Chin trick: put your hand under your chin; each time your chin drops, that is a syllable.
  3. Count the vowel sounds: every syllable has one vowel sound.

One syllable words

  • cat, dog, sun, tree, fish
  • jump, cake, ball, star, frog
  • snow, bread, green, light, smile

Two syllable words

  • pan-da, ap-ple, ta-ble, rab-bit, pen-cil
  • gar-den, mon-key, pic-nic, sis-ter, ro-bot
  • bam-boo, fun-ny, ti-ger, pa-per, cam-el

Three syllable words

  • ba-na-na, el-e-phant, din-o-saur, com-put-er, to-ma-to
  • but-ter-fly, kan-ga-roo, bi-cy-cle, oc-to-pus, hol-i-day

Multisyllabic words (4 or more)

  • wa-ter-mel-on, cat-er-pil-lar, al-li-ga-tor, hel-i-cop-ter
  • tel-e-vi-sion, cal-cu-la-tor, hip-po-pot-a-mus

Syllable division rules

  • Two consonants between vowels: split between them (rab-bit, nap-kin)
  • One consonant between vowels: usually split before it (ti-ger, pa-per)
  • If the first vowel is short, split after the consonant (cam-el, riv-er)
  • Consonant + LE at the end stays together (ta-ble, bub-ble)
  • Never split digraphs like th, sh, ch, ph or ck (moth-er, pock-et)

Practice by playing

In Letter River, you read a clue and drag across the letters on the board to spell the answer, great for noticing syllables.

Letter River letter board next to the list of clues, with a river and mountains behind

PolarzinhoThe otter in Letter River counts syllables without clapping. I need both paws.

Letter River: the letter board and the clues beside it.

And in Stop!, the quick category game, long multisyllabic words rarely get repeated.

Stop! home screen with the options to play with the crowd or create a room with friends

PolarzinhoI wrote "hippopotamus" for animal. Five syllables. The table went silent.

Stop!: play with the crowd or create a room with friends.

FAQ

How many syllables are in "banana"?

Three: ba-na-na.

What is a multisyllabic word?

A word with more than one syllable, often used for words with three or more, like watermelon.

How many syllables are in "hippopotamus"?

Five: hip-po-pot-a-mus.

Your turn

Clap and count: butterfly, cat, garden and caterpillar. Then check your answers in the lists.

Play Letter River Play Stop!