Open and closed syllables

[Valera]

Hi,
What does open and closed syllables mean?

[nikita]

Hello, Valera

Here is the Rule of the Open vs. Closed Stressed Syllable for you.

The Open Syllable is the one that ends in a vowel. This syllable, according to the rule, must be read as in the English alphabet. (But please remember that there are loads exceptions to this rule!)

a /ei/

Examples:
Cake, wake, take, famous, label, shame, radio, favour, safe, ...

o /ou/

Example:
Bone, tone, phone, home, focus, Dover, Rome, rove, abode, ...

e /i:/
Example:
Leaf, seed, fee, mere, compete, delete, deer, ...

i (y) /ai/
Example:
Die, dye, fine, rhyme, miner, quite, psyche, like, desire, admire, pride, etc.

The Closed Syllable is the one that ends in a consonant. The Closed Stressed Syllables have a special reading.

a (I cannot show the phonetic symbol here)
Example
Fat, cat, lack, barrier, nagging, badminton, lap, ...

o /short "o" sound/
Example:
Hot, pot, lock, rock, rotten, possible, doctor, wash, ...

e /e/
Example:
Set, letter, deck, intelligent, egg, sell, petty, ...

i (y) /i/
Example:
Fish, quick, tick, sick, rid, bitter, mint, twist, lip, limbs, ...

Okay, I hope this somewhat helps.

Nikita