Here are the four principles for dividing multi-syllabic words by syllables:
| Pattern | Definition | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| VC-CV | two consonants between two vowels | When two consonants come between two vowels, we divide between the consonants. The first syllable will be closed. | cat-nip, nut-meg, en-rich, pen-ny |
| V-CV | one consonant between two vowels | When one consonant comes between two vowels, we divide between the first vowel and the consonant. The first syllable will be open. This strategy will work 75% of the time. If this strategy does not produce a recognizable word, try the next strategy (Moats, 2020). | be-have, si-lence, e-qual, wa-ger |
| VC-V | one consonant between two vowels | When one consonant comes between two vowels, try dividing between the consonant and the second vowel. The first syllable will be closed. | ex-am, val-id, ed-it, riv-et |
| V-V | two vowels that are not a vowel team or acting as a vowel team when the word is pronounced | When two vowels are next to one another and they do not form a vowel team, we divide the vowels. |
not a vowel team: di-al not acting as a vowel team in pronunciation: po-em, flu-ent |