Video narration
How many beats do you hear when you say a word? Try "cat." One clap, one spoken beat. That beat is a syllable: one beat in a spoken word. Now try "sunset." Sun-set. Two claps, two syllables. "Elephant": el-e-phant. Three claps, three syllables. Say each word naturally, and clap once for every beat you hear. Here's the important flip: syllables belong to speech, not the letters on the page. A short word can have two beats, like "sunset," while a longer-looking word can have one, like "train." So don't count letters. Say the word, listen, and clap. Try a new word: speak it slowly, then count the claps. If it feels less clear, follow the way you naturally say it. So, what is a syllable? One beat in a spoken word: "cat" has one, and "elephant" has three.