Counting Syllables — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. How many syllables are in the word banana?
A) 3
B) 1
C) 2
D) 4
Banana splits into ba, na, and na, which equals three syllables total.
2. How many syllables are in the word cat?
A) 2
B) 1
C) 3
D) 4
Cat is one short beat, so it has only one syllable in all.
3. How many syllables are in the word elephant?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Elephant breaks into el, e, and phant, giving us three syllables total.
4. How many syllables are in the word caterpillar?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Caterpillar splits into cat, er, pil, and lar, which makes four syllables total.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The word computer has 3 syllables.
Computer breaks into com, pu, and ter, giving us three syllables.
2. The word dinosaur has 3 syllables.
Dinosaur splits into di, no, and saur, which makes three syllables.
3. The word hippopotamus has 5 syllables.
Hippopotamus splits into hip, po, pot, a, mus, making five syllables total.
4. The word banana has 3 syllables.
Banana breaks into ba, na, and na, giving us three syllables total.
5. The word cat has 1 syllable.
Cat is one short beat, which means it has one syllable total.