Here's why:
* Syllabic Consonants: Certain consonants can act as the nucleus (the core part) of a syllable. This is particularly common with the consonants /l/, /m/, and /n/ in certain contexts.
Examples:
* "bottle" has two syllables: "bot" and "tle". The "tle" syllable is formed with the consonant "l" acting as the nucleus.
* "rhythm" has one syllable, where the "m" acts as the nucleus.
* "happen" has two syllables: "hap" and "pen". The "pen" syllable has the "n" as the nucleus.
Important Considerations:
* Context: Syllabic consonants typically occur in stressed syllables or in words where there's a vowel immediately following them.
* Phonetics: This is a phenomenon in phonetics, the study of sounds, rather than simply spelling. Sometimes, a syllable might appear to have a consonant as the nucleus, but in the actual pronunciation, a vowel sound is introduced.
Let me know if you'd like more examples!