Allen and Greenough's New Latin Grammar, section 7

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Syllables.

7.

Every Latin word has as many syllables as it has vowels or diphthongs: -

a-ci-é, mo-né, fí-li-us, fe-ró-ci-ta-te.

a. In the division of words into syllables a single consonant (including consonant i and v) between two vowels is written and pronounced with the following vowel. Doubled consonants are separated: -

pa-ter, mí-li-tés, in-iú-ri-a, dí-vi-dó; mit-tó, tol-ló.

NOTE 1: Some extend the rule for single consonants to any consonant group (as sp, st, gn) that can begin a word. In this book, díx-it, sax-um, etc. are preferred to dí-xit, sa-xum; the pronunciation was probably díc-sit, sac-sum.

NOTE 2: A syllable ending with a vowel or diphthong is called open: all others are called close. Thus in pa-ter the first syllable is open, the second close.

b. In compounds the parts are separated: -

ab-est, ob-látus, dis-cernó, du-plex, dí-stó.