How many syllables in “smaller”?
“smaller” has 2 syllables: small·er
IPA
/ˈsmɔ.lɚ/
Stress
SMALL-er (pattern 1-0)
Division
small·er
Pronunciation
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMALL-er | /ˈsmɔ.lɚ/ | s m ao · l er | 2 | 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 (2)
small·er
Morphemes (2)
small + -er
The syllable breaks of smaller (small·er) line up with its morphemes (small + -er): every morpheme boundary is also a syllable boundary, so the word divides the same way for a syllable count and for a morphology exercise.
Count syllables in your own text
Paste a line or a whole poem: syllables, stress, IPA and meter, free and in your browser.
Open the syllable counter →Pronunciations from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. Hyphenation from the hyph_en_US patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many syllables are in "smaller"?
"smaller" has two syllables: small·er.
How do you divide "smaller" into syllables?
small·er. The syllable breaks of smaller (small·er) line up with its morphemes (small + -er): every morpheme boundary is also a syllable boundary, so the word divides the same way for a syllable count and for a morphology exercise.
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.