HyphenateIt

Hyphenation ofsmooth-plastered

Syllable Division & Pronunciation

Syllable Division:

smooth-plas-tered

Phonetic Transcription:(how the word sounds using IPA symbols)

/smuːð ˈplæstəd/

Stress Pattern:(which syllables are emphasized when speaking)

010

Primary stress falls on the second syllable ('plas') of 'plastered'.

Detailed Syllable Breakdown

Syllables are the building blocks of words - each one typically contains a vowel sound

smooth/smuːð/

Open syllable, containing a long vowel and a voiced fricative onset.

plas/plæs/

Closed syllable, containing a consonant cluster onset and a short vowel.

tered/təd/

Closed syllable, containing a consonant onset and a schwa vowel.

Morphemic Breakdown

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful parts of words: prefixes (beginning), roots (core meaning), and suffixes (ending)

smooth(prefix)
+
plaster(root)
+
-ed(suffix)

Prefix: smooth

Old English origin, adjective modifier.

Root: plaster

Middle English/Latin origin, noun/verb.

Suffix: -ed

Old English origin, past tense/participle marker.

Meanings & Definitions
adjective(grammatical role in sentences)

Covered or finished with plaster in a smooth manner.

Examples:

"The walls were smooth-plastered and painted white."

Synonyms: planed, leveled, evened
Antonyms: rough, uneven, textured
Similar Words Comparison

Words with similar syllable patterns or pronunciation features

smooth-talkingsmooth-talk-ing

Similar compound adjective structure.

well-paintedwell-paint-ed

Similar compound adjective structure.

badly-writtenbad-ly-writ-ten

Adverb + past participle structure.

Syllable Division Rules

The linguistic principles used to determine where syllables begin and end

Onset-Rime Principle

Syllables are formed around a vowel nucleus with preceding and following consonants.

Maximizing Onsets

Consonant clusters are assigned to the onset of the following syllable when possible.

Morpheme Boundary Principle

Syllable boundaries often align with morpheme boundaries.

Special Considerations

Important exceptions or unusual features in this word's pronunciation or structure

Potential vowel reduction in 'smooth' in rapid speech.

The 'smooth' portion functions as a single morpheme despite vowel length.

Analysis Summary

Summary:

The word 'smooth-plastered' is divided into three syllables: smooth-plas-tered. The primary stress falls on 'plas'. It's a compound adjective formed from the morphemes 'smooth', 'plaster', and '-ed'. Syllabification follows the onset-rime principle and maximizes onsets.

Detailed Analysis:

Linguistic Analysis of "smooth-plastered" (English (GB))

1. Pronunciation:

The word "smooth-plastered" is pronounced /smuːð ˈplæstəd/ in General British English.

2. Syllable Division:

The syllable division, adhering to the rule of using only the original letters, is: smooth-plas-tered.

3. Morphemic Analysis:

  • Prefix: smooth - Old English smōþ meaning "not rough, even". Function: Adjective modifier.
  • Root: plaster - Middle English plastre from Old French plastre from Latin pistrum meaning "plaster". Function: Noun/Verb.
  • Suffix: -ed - Old English -ed indicating past tense or past participle. Function: Verb inflection.

4. Stress Identification:

The primary stress falls on the second syllable of "plastered": /smuːð ˈplæstəd/.

5. Phonetic Transcription:

/smuːð ˈplæstəd/

6. Edge Case Review:

The 'smooth' portion presents a slight edge case due to the vowel length and potential glide formation. However, it functions as a single morpheme and is generally treated as a single syllable in common pronunciation.

7. Grammatical Role:

"Smooth-plastered" primarily functions as an adjective. The syllabification and stress remain consistent regardless of its use in a sentence.

8. Definition & Semantics:

  • Definition: Covered or finished with plaster in a smooth manner.
  • Grammatical Category: Adjective
  • Synonyms: Planed, leveled, evened.
  • Antonyms: Rough, uneven, textured.
  • Examples: "The walls were smooth-plastered and painted white."

9. Phonological Comparison:

  • "smooth-talking": smooth-talk-ing. Similar structure with a compound adjective. Stress falls on 'talk'.
  • "well-painted": well-paint-ed. Similar compound adjective structure. Stress falls on 'paint'.
  • "badly-written": bad-ly-writ-ten. Adverb + past participle. Stress falls on 'writ'.

The differences in syllable division arise from the varying lengths of the initial modifying element (smooth, well, badly) and the root word. The rule of maximizing onsets and codas applies consistently across these examples.

10. Division Rules:

  • Onset-Rime Principle: Syllables are formed around a vowel nucleus, with preceding consonants forming the onset and following consonants forming the coda.
  • Maximizing Onsets: Consonant clusters are assigned to the onset of the following syllable whenever possible.
  • Morpheme Boundary Principle: Syllable boundaries often coincide with morpheme boundaries.

11. Special Considerations:

The vowel /uː/ in "smooth" can sometimes be reduced to /ʊ/ in rapid speech, but this doesn't affect the syllable division.

12. Alternative Pronunciations/Regional Variations:

Regional variations in vowel pronunciation (e.g., a more open /uː/ in some dialects) might exist, but they don't alter the core syllable structure.

Analysis generated by gemma3:27b on 6/10/2025

The hottest word splits in English (GB)

See what terms are trending and getting hyphenated by users right now.

What is hyphenation

Hyphenation is the process of dividing words across lines in print or on websites. It involves inserting hyphens (-) where a word breaks to continue on the next line.

Proper hyphenation improves readability by reducing the unevenness of word spacing and unnecessary large gaps. It also helps avoid confusion that may occur when part of a word carries over. Ideal hyphenation should break words according to pronunciation and syllables. Most word processors and publishing apps have automated tools to handle hyphenation effectively based on language rules and dictionaries. Though subtle, proper hyphenation improves overall typography and reading comfort.