You will split Turkish words into syllables by counting vowels and placing the consonants between them (V is a vowel and C a consonant in the table). No recording is attached to this lesson, so it works from spelling alone.
The idea
Every vowel makes one syllable, so count the vowels: okuyorum has four, so o-ku-yo-rum. One consonant between two vowels goes with the second vowel (a-ra-ba, ki-tap); two consonants in a row are split (el-ma, pen-ce-re); of three, the first two stay behind (Türk-çe). Words such as tren and spor open with two consonants but still have one vowel, so one syllable.
| Pattern | Syllable | Word |
|---|---|---|
| V | a | a-ra-ba |
| CV | ki | ki-tap |
| VC | el | el-ma |
| CVC | tap | ki-tap |
| CVCC | Türk | Türk-çe |
Examples
- Kedi bahçede uyuyor.The cat is sleeping in the garden.
- Annem akşam çay yapıyor.My mother is making tea this evening.
- Otobüs saat beşte geliyor.The bus comes at five o’clock.Saat has two vowels side by side, and each makes its own syllable: sa-at.
- kitaplarbookskitaplar-ler / -lar: the plural suffixThe chain shows the meaning parts, kitap + lar. The syllables are cut at other places: ki-tap-lar, one for each vowel.
- pencerewindown and c are two consonants in a row, so they split: pen-ce-re.
- ailefamilyThree vowels give three syllables: a-i-le. The a and the i never melt into one sound.
- TürkçeTurkish (the language)Three consonants in a row, r, k and ç: the first two stay with the first syllable, Türk-çe.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Two vowels side by side never merge into one sound: saat is sa-at, dua is du-a, aile is a-i-le. Do not read them as one syllable the way English reads ee or oo.
Try it yourself
Type how many syllables okuyorum (I am reading) has.
Show answer or example answer
4
4: the vowels o u o u give four syllables, o-ku-yo-rum, and each single consonant moves forward to the next vowel.
Type how many syllables dua (prayer) has.
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2
2: u and a touch but do not merge, so du-a has two syllables.
Type the first syllable of elma (apple).
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el
el: l and m are two consonants in a row, so they split, el-ma, and l stays behind.
Type the first syllable of ağaç (tree).
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a
a: the single consonant ğ goes with the next vowel, a-ğaç, so the first syllable is only a.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Type how many syllables okuyorum (I am reading) has.
Type how many syllables dua (prayer) has.
Type the first syllable of elma (apple).
Type the first syllable of ağaç (tree).
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: books
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Take six words from around you, count their vowels and write them with hyphens between the syllables. Check every place where two consonants meet.