Video narration
Why does "cat" feel like one beat, while "banana" feels like three? Try it: "cat"-clap. "Banana": ba-na-na-clap, clap, clap. Each clap matches a spoken beat. That beat is called a syllable. Syllables are sounds you hear, not letters you count. Try "sun": one clap, one syllable. "Happy": hap-py-two claps, two syllables. Clap to check: "cat" has one spoken beat, so it has one syllable; "banana" has three beats, so it has three syllables.