Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

syllabic

adjective

/sɪˈlæb.ɪk/

Definition

Relating to, consisting of, or having syllables; in phonetics, referring to a unit of pronunciation including a vowel sound, which may or may not be accompanied by consonants.

Examples

The word ‘cat’ is a syllabic word consisting of one syllable.
In English, many two-syllable words stress the first syllable, making them syllabic.
Some languages have more complex syllabic structures than others, such as Mandarin Chinese.

Meaning

The term ‘syllabic’ usually describes sounds in speech that can form a syllable, specifically focusing on how language is broken down into its component parts.