Syllabify

Pronunciation

• UK enPR: sÄ­lăʹbÄ­fÄ«, IPA: /sɪˈlabáµ»fʌɪ/

Origin

First attested in 1799–1802; back-formation from syllabification; compare the Old French sillabifier.

Full definition of syllabify

Verb

1. To divide a word into syllables; to syllabicate; to syllabize.
• 1799–1800, P.V. Lenoir, either “French Pronunciation and Reading made EaÅ¿y, or the Logographic-emblematical French Spelling-Book, &c.” (1799, Dulau and Co.) or “The Logographic-emblematical EngliÅ¿h Spelling-Book, or a Method of teaching Children to read” (1800, BooÅ¿ey), quoted in article 35–36 of British Critic, volume 19 (1802, January–June), page 97A method alÅ¿o of teaching the learners “to Å¿yllabify with the counters” is pointed out.
• 1926, Henry Watson Fowler, (1st ed., Oxford at the Clarendon Press), page 590, column 2, “syllabize &c.”syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): — 
   syllabate 3    syllabation 2
   syllabicate 2    syllabication 1
   syllabify 2        syllabification 1
   syllabize 1     syllabization 3
  One first-class verb, two first-class nouns, but neither of those nouns belonging to that verb. It is absurd enough, & any of several ways out would do; that indeed is why none of them is taken. The best thing would be to accept the most recognized verb syllabize, give it the now non-existent noun syllabization, & relegate all the rest to the Superfluous words

Synonyms

• syllabicate, syllabize