SEA ! I did that for year and years and years and sometimes letters too. And did you find that when it came to a word like you're , you might break it into YOU ARE to fit it into the pattern easier? Like I had to end on 5, 10 , 15 etc. Had to be a full hand or ........idk.......just had to be . So I might even add an imaginary 'the' or 'and' to make the pattern work.
WOW do I sound like a loser just now. But I've never EVER heard anyone else say they counted syllables.
THREE CHEERS FOR US !