A syllable is a basic unit of speech sound, usually defined by a vowel with optional consonants before or after. Learn about syllable types, transcription, components and languages with different syllable structures. Learn what a syllable is, how to identify and count syllables, and the types and examples of syllables in English. A syllable is a single sound unit in a word, made up of one or more letters that form a vowel sound. The meaning of SYLLABLE is a unit of spoken language that is next bigger than a speech sound and consists of one or more vowel sounds alone or of a syllabic consonant alone or of either with one or more consonant sounds preceding or following. How to use syllable in a sentence. Syllable A syllable is one or more letters representing a unit of spoken language consisting of a single uninterrupted sound. or A syllable is a part of a word that contains a single vowel sound and that is pronounced as a unit. or A syllable is a complete word or a part of word with one vowel sound.