Rules for dividing words into syllables
- If two [vowels](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.09) are separated by one [consonant](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.22), the consonant goes to the second syllable
- If two vowels are separated by more than one consonant, the first syllable gets one consonant, the second gets the rest
- A [syllable](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.04) should not be impossible to pronounce: if it starts with an impossible sequence of consonants, we send one (or as many as necessary) to the first syllable
- [CH](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.06) is considered as one consonant
- [dieresis](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.08): We use this to indicate where two vowels have to be separated. We only do this, if without the dieresis, the vowels would be pronounced as one vowel (double vowel or vowel combination)
- [Double vowels](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.10)
- [Vowel combinations](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.12) (au, ei, eu, ie, ij, oe, ou, ui, aai, oei, ooi, ieu, eeu, and also: ae, ai, and oi)
- [Open vowels](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.11) (single vowels at the end of a syllable)
[Short vowels](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.13)
- Single, closed vowels - in other words: single vowels in syllables that end in one or more consonants
[The mute _e_](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.17)
If the letter _e_ is unstressed, it is a mute _e_. When the _e_ is stressed, it is either short (if closed) or long (if open).
Rules
- A syllable never ends in a double vowel (with the exception of ee at the very end of a word)
- A syllable never ends in two identical consonants
- A syllable never ends in z or v (they turn into s or f respectively). See also [hard and soft consonants](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.23)
- The length of a vowel generally remains unchanged if the form of the word changes (e.g. from singular to plural). See also [maintaining vowel length](#/lesson/SpellingAndPronunciation.19).
Accents
- to stress a whole word (it was her idea --> het was háár idee)
- to distinguish _een_ (a or an) from _één_ (one)
- to distinguish _voor_ (for you) from _vóór_ (before)
- to make a mute (unstressed) _e_ long (coupé) --> only appears in borrowed (French) words