What this tool does
Spanish syllabification follows strict, learnable rules — unlike English, where syllable boundaries often depend on the dictionary. This tool applies those rules (the ones codified by the Real Academia Española) to any Spanish word or text, right in your browser: it splits every word with hyphens, counts the syllables, highlights the stressed syllable (the sílaba tónica) and tells you the stress category — aguda, llana, esdrújula or sobresdrújula.
It is a handy companion for learning or teaching Spanish, checking accent-mark rules, counting syllables for poetry, or deciding where a word breaks at the end of a line.
How to use it
- Type or paste a Spanish word — or a whole paragraph — into the box.
- Results appear instantly: syllables separated by hyphens, stressed syllable in color.
- With multiple words you get a list plus the total syllable count.
- Click Copy result to grab all the separations as plain text.
The rules behind the split
Everything revolves around vowels. Spanish distinguishes strong vowels (a, e, o) from weak vowels (i, u), and their combinations decide whether two adjacent vowels share a syllable:
| Combination | Outcome | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Strong + unaccented weak (either order) | Diphthong — same syllable | ai-re, ciu-dad |
| Two different weak vowels | Diphthong | rui-do, viu-da |
| Two strong vowels | Hiatus — separate syllables | le-ón, po-e-ta |
| Strong + accented weak (í, ú) | Hiatus | pa-ís, dí-a, ba-úl |
| Weak + strong + weak | Triphthong — one syllable | a-ve-ri-guáis, buey |
For consonants: a single consonant between vowels starts the next syllable (a-ho-ra). Two consonants split between syllables (trans-por-te) unless they form an inseparable cluster of consonant + l or r (pr, br, tr, dr, cr, gr, fr, pl, bl, cl, gl, fl), which stays together: a-brir, ha-blar. The digraphs ch, ll, rr are never divided: ca-rro, ca-lle. In “que”, “qui”, “gue”, “gui” the letter u is silent and does not count as a vowel; with a diaeresis (güe, güi) it is pronounced and forms a diphthong: a-güe-ro.
To find the stress: if the word carries a written accent, that syllable is stressed. If not, words ending in a vowel, n or s stress the second-to-last syllable (llanas), and all others stress the last one (agudas). Words stressed on the third-to-last syllable (esdrújulas) always carry a written accent.
Worked example
Take murciélago (bat). The sequence “ié” is a diphthong — weak i plus accented strong é — so it stays in one syllable: mur-cié-la-go, 4 syllables. The accent mark puts the stress on “cié”, the third syllable from the end, which makes the word esdrújula.
Now ciudad (city): “iu” joins two weak vowels, so it is a diphthong and forms one syllable — ciu-dad, 2 syllables. No written accent and a final consonant that is not n or s means the stress falls on the last syllable: an aguda word stressed on “dad”. Finally león (lion): e and ó are both strong vowels, a hiatus, so they separate into le-ón — 2 syllables, aguda.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if two vowels form a diphthong or a hiatus?
Diphthong: a strong vowel (a, e, o) next to an unaccented weak vowel (i, u), or two different weak vowels — ai-re, ciu-dad, rui-do. Hiatus: two strong vowels (le-ón) or a weak vowel carrying a written accent (pa-ís, dí-a). The accent on the weak vowel is exactly what “breaks” the diphthong.
What do aguda, llana and esdrújula mean?
They name where the stress falls: aguda on the last syllable (ciu-DAD), llana on the second-to-last (CA-sa), esdrújula on the third-to-last (mur-CIÉ-la-go) and sobresdrújula even earlier (DÍ-ga-me-lo). Knowing the category tells you whether the word needs a written accent.
Does the letter h affect syllable division?
The h is silent, but for division it behaves like a consonant that opens a syllable: a-ho-ra, al-mo-ha-da. For a few words where the h sits inside a diphthong (like desahucio) the RAE admits alternative divisions; this tool uses the most common school-style split.
Why does the tool split “atleta” as a-tle-ta?
Both a-tle-ta and at-le-ta are accepted. In Latin American Spanish the “tl” cluster is pronounced together, so this tool keeps it in one syllable; much of Spain splits it. Either answer is correct in schoolwork.
Can I use it for Spanish poetry meter?
It gives you the grammatical syllables, which are the starting point. For verse length apply sinalefa (merging vowels across word boundaries) and the final-word rule: add one syllable if the verse ends in an aguda word, subtract one if it ends in an esdrújula.