Syllable Types… Explained! 

A high degree of phonological awareness is required when it comes to analyzing the syllables in words we hear and say every day. There are many advantages to understanding how to break a word into syllables. The skill can be of great value when both decoding and encoding new vocabulary.

But what’s all this talk about syllable types? Feeling confused about it all? We don’t blame you! 

Thankfully, we have created this set of posters to help your students identify the various syllable types they might encounter when exploring new words.

The following syllable types are explained in the poster set:

• Closed syllable: A closed syllable has only one vowel and is followed by one or more consonants. The vowel has a short vowel sound.
• Open syllable: An open syllable ends in a vowel. The vowel has a long vowel sound. The vowel says its letter name. Remember that ‘y’ can act as a vowel.
• Silent e syllable: A silent e syllable has one vowel and is followed by a consonant and a silent e. The vowel has a long vowel sound. 
• Vowel team syllable: A vowel team syllable has a team of two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. Sometimes, the team includes consonant letters, like ay, oy, ow, and aw.      
• R-controlled syllable: An r-controlled syllable has an r following a vowel. The r changes the vowel sound so that it is neither long nor short.       
• Consonant + le: A consonant+le syllable comes at the end of a word. It has a consonant, then an l, then a silent e.         

How to Make the Most of This Syllable Types Classroom Display

This set of posters has been created to support phonics instruction in your classroom. You may wish to use it in the following ways.

1. As you teach each syllable type, provide students with a smaller version of the poster to paste into their workbooks.
2. Use the resource as a word wall display by adding examples of each syllable type around each poster.

Easily Download and Print

This resource is available in both a full-color or black-and-white printable PDF. Use the dropdown menu on the Download button to choose the version that works best for you and your students. Download, print and teach!