Converting between word and syllable counts in children's conversational speech samples

Several authors have suggested that it is possible to convert between word and syllable counts for basic clinical measurements such as the frequency of speech disfluencies or speaking rate in conversational speech samples. Based primarily on results from adults' speech samples, proposed conversion factors have averaged approximately 1.5 syllables per word. Because children produce fewer multisyllabic words than adults, this conversion factor is probably not appropriate for children's speech samples. This study sought to develop a more accurate conversion factor for children's speech by comparing syllable and word counts in spontaneous speech samples produced by 50 children, age 3 to 5. Analyses revealed an average ratio of 1.15 syllables per word, which was consistent across different subjects, across subject groups (children who stutter and children who do not stutter) and also, somewhat surprisingly, across age groups (3-year olds, 4-year olds, and 5-year olds). Results suggest that this constant conversion factor of 1.15 can be used to convert between word and syllable with sufficient precision to allow clinicians to compare their data to published guidelines and benchmarks about childhood stuttering.