Spanish Syllable Counter
Count syllables in Spanish words with diphthong, hiatus, and stress analysis. Built on Spanish syllabification rules.
| Word | Syllables | Breakdown | Stress | Source |
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Spanish syllabification rules
Spanish syllables are organized around vowel nuclei. Each syllable contains exactly one vowel sound, which can be either a single vowel, a diphthong (two vowels pronounced together), or a triphthong (three vowels pronounced together). The five vowels in Spanish split into two groups: strong vowels a, e, o and weak vowels i, u.
When a strong vowel meets a weak vowel, they form a diphthong and stay in the same syllable: cau-sa, vie-ne, cuo-ta. When two strong vowels meet, they form a hiatus and split into separate syllables: te-a-tro, po-e-ta. A written accent on a weak vowel breaks the diphthong and forces a hiatus: pa-ís, dí-a, baúl.
Stress in Spanish follows three rules. Words ending in a vowel, n, or s are stressed on the second-to-last syllable (palabras llanas/graves). Words ending in any other consonant are stressed on the last syllable (agudas). A written accent overrides these defaults and marks the stressed syllable explicitly, including esdrújulas (third-to-last) and sobresdrújulas (fourth-to-last).