Yep. Short I sound like in "is" - skwi - rel.

See also, professor Quirrell. Like that but with an s.

A syllable is a unit of sound in a word that is typically made up of a vowel or a combination of a vowel and one or more consonants, and that is typically perceived as a distinct sound. In linguistic terms, a syllable is defined as a unit of sound in speech that is pronounced in one pulse or beat, and that forms a unit of rhythm in language

This is really disheartening to learn. Syllables agree about rhythm and sounds, not vowels. Consider the word maneuver. Does it gain an extra syllable of you use a different spelling: manoeuvre?

How many syllables does "tape" have, with two vowels, as opposed to "tap" with one?

Does "speed" have more syllables than "sped"?

In some parts of North America, "squirrel" is pronounced as "skwirl", which means that "squirelled" is slightly longer than "strengths".

In the rest of the world, though, it's two syllables.

EDIT: turns out it's not just NA vs the world.

This weinerschnitzel looks disappointing...