Two eye movement experiments investigated the nature of the phonological representations used in reading English. Each tested whether sublexical, syllable information is part of that representation. Target words with CV-initial syllables (DE.MAND) or CVC-initial syllables (LAN.TERN) were preceded by primes that exactly matched or mismatched their initial syllable. In Experiment 1, the primes were presented foveally using a fast-priming technique. Target words of both types were read faster when preceded by a three-letter than a two-letter prime, and no effect of matching syllable information was observed. In Experiment 2, primes were presented parafoveally using a preview technique. First fixation durations were shorter on words which were preceded by a matching syllable preview than a mismatching preview. These results indicate that proficient readers do process sublexical, syllable information while reading, which provides evidence for a multi-layered phonological representation. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that syllable information is encoded as part of the memory processes that preserve information across saccades.