Can word become shorter if you add a syllable to it?

Yes, it's possible for a word to become shorter if you add a syllable to it. This happens when the added syllable replaces a longer existing part of the word.

Here's an example:

* "Telephone" (2 syllables)

* "Phone" (1 syllable)

By adding the syllable "-phone" to the word "tele-", we remove the longer "tele-" portion, resulting in a shorter word.

This is a process called clipping, a type of word formation where a part of a longer word is removed to create a shorter, more informal version.