Syllables

A syllable is a single, unbroken sound of a spoken (or written) word. Syllables usually contain a vowel and accompanying consonants.

The number of times you hear a vowel (a, e, i , o, u and sometimes y) in a word is equal to the number of syllables a word has. A good way to identify syllables is to think about whether you need to change your mouth shape to say the next bit of the word / the new syllable.

Cat            one syllable      (cat)
Water        two syllables    (wa / ter)
Computer   three syllables  (com / pu / ter)
Category    four syllables   (cat / e / gor / y)
University   five syllables    (u / ni / ver / si / ty)

Silent Syllable:

Some words in English pronunciation can lose a syllable when they are said quickly.
Silent syllables are common in words of three or more syllables where there is a weak vowel sound followed by one of /l/, /r/ or /n/.
In some cases, both pronunciations of these words are correct, though in connected speech, the silent syllable is more likely in most cases.