There are 6 rules I can think of: 1. Separate prefixes, suffixes, and root words EG. pre/view, work/ing, re/do, end/less, out/side. 2.If there are two consonants next to each other, divide in between them EG. buf/fet, des/sert, ob/ject, ber/ry, fer/ry. 3. You can't split 2 consonants that (when pronounced together) make only 1 sound EG. "th", "sh", "ph", "th", "ch", and "wh". 4. If the word ends in "ckle" divide just before it. EG. ta/ckle, fre/ckle, ti/ckle, bu/ckle 5. If a word ends in "le" without the "ck" divide from 1 letter before it. EG. ta/ble, ap/ple, rum/ble, fa/ble. and 6. Think is the consonant surrounded by vowels? A. Does the 1st vowel have a long sound? (Like the 'i' in line) Divide before the consonant. ba/by, re/sult, i/vy, fro/zen, Cu/pid B. Does the 1st vowel have a short sound? (Like the 'i' in mill) Divide after the consonant. rav/age, met/al, riv/er, mod/el, cur/tal I hope these clear it up a little for you. It may sound complicated now, but it's something you learn to do without thinking about it.

If you go to the link http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cerulean you will see the syllables in the square brackets [ ... ].

Well, I can't say exactly how to learn them. But when I was in elementary school we would clap with each syllable. A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. Syllables sort of break up the word. It's almost just felt in the word because if you say the word correctly, we pause at the syllable. If you try it you might understand. Every time you hear a syllable, simply clap. Clap to these: Car (one syllable) Water (two syllables: wa and ter) Video (three syllables: Vid and e and o) I hope this helped you. Good Luck and keep practicing!

We do it by the sound of the word, but you can check dictionaries as well.

Because a native speaker learns by listening, rather than from a book, the first thing they hear is the sound, and the rhythm of the language. For most people, that sound naturally leads to a break into syllables. Is that not the same in Spanish?