How many syllables in “classical”?

“classical” has 3 syllables: clas·si·cal

IPA
/ˈklæs.ɪ.kəl/
Stress
CLAS-si-cal (pattern 1-0-0)
Division
clas·si·cal

Pronunciation

Say it likeIPASyllablesCountSource
CLAS-si-cal /ˈklæs.ɪ.kəl/ k l ae s · ih · k ah l 3 CMU dictionary

Syllables are shown in ARPAbet (the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary's phoneme alphabet). Respellings put the stressed syllable in capitals.

Syllables vs. morphemes

Syllables (3)
clas·si·cal
Morphemes (3)
class + -ic + -al

The syllables of classical (clas·si·cal) do not line up with its morphemes (class + -ic + -al): the syllable “si” contains letters from two different morphemes. Syllables follow sound and spelling rules; morphemes follow meaning, so the two kinds of boundary need not agree.

Full morpheme breakdown of “classical” →

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Pronunciations from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Hyphenation from the hyph_en_US patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many syllables are in "classical"?
"classical" has three syllables: clas·si·cal.
How do you divide "classical" into syllables?
clas·si·cal. The syllables of classical (clas·si·cal) do not line up with its morphemes (class + -ic + -al): the syllable “si” contains letters from two different morphemes. Syllables follow sound and spelling rules; morphemes follow meaning, so the two kinds of boundary need not agree.
Is this syllable counter free?
Yes. The Fixie syllable counter is free, needs no signup, and runs in your browser; paste any text to count syllables, see stress and IPA.