How does it tell a diphthong from a hiatus?

Two strong vowels (a, e, o) always form a hiatus and split into separate syllables. A weak vowel (i, u) next to a strong vowel forms a diphthong and stays in one syllable, unless the weak vowel carries a written accent (í, ú), which breaks the diphthong into a hiatus.

Why does país have two syllables but aire has two as well?

In país the accented í breaks the a-i pair into a hiatus, giving pa-ís. In aire the unaccented i-e forms a diphthong, so it is ai-re. Both happen to total two syllables but for different vowel-rule reasons.

Does it handle the silent u in que, qui, gue, and gui?

Yes. The u in que, qui, gue, and gui is silent and does not start a syllable, so guerra is gue-rra with two syllables. A u with a diaeresis, as in pingüino, is pronounced and counts normally.

Can it count syllables in a whole sentence?

Yes. Paste multiple words and it counts each one, shows the per-word breakdown, and adds them up. This is useful for checking metre in Spanish poetry line by line.

Is the count always perfect?

The vowel rules cover the vast majority of Spanish words correctly. A few borrowed words or unusual spellings can deviate, so for formal scansion confirm edge cases against a pronunciation guide.

Spanish Syllable Counter

Email me this result

Get this tool's output sent to your inbox, plus one useful tool a week. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

Spanish syllable counting is far more regular than English because it follows clear vowel rules. The key is knowing when two adjacent vowels merge into one syllable (a diphthong) and when they split into two (a hiatus), which depends on whether the vowels are strong or weak and whether an accent mark is present.

How it works

The tool scans each word for vowel groups, counting one syllable per group, and decides whether adjacent vowels stay together or split:

strong vowels: a e o        weak vowels: i u
strong + strong  -> hiatus  (split: le-er, ca-os)
weak + strong / strong + weak / weak + weak -> diphthong (one syllable)
accented weak (í, ú) beside a strong vowel -> hiatus (pa-ís, dí-a)
silent u in que/qui/gue/gui -> ignored, not a separate vowel

Each vowel group counts as one syllable nucleus, so the number of groups after applying these rules equals the syllable count.

Tips and example

The word “murciélago” splits as mur-cié-la-go for four syllables, where “ié” is a diphthong. “País” is pa-ís with two syllables because the accented í forces a hiatus, while “aire” is ai-re, also two, because “ai” is a diphthong. “Guerra” is gue-rra with two syllables since the u after g is silent, but “pingüino” is pin-güi-no with three because the diaeresis makes the u sound. For Spanish poetry, count syllables per line and remember that a line-final stressed word can add a count in classical metre.