Maximal Onset Principle

In phonology, the Maximal Onset Principle is a principle determining underlying syllable division. It states that intervocalic consonants are maximally assigned to the onsets of syllables in conformity with universal and language-specific conditions (see also sonority hierarchy).

Example
The English word diploma can be divided in several ways: dip.lo.ma vs. di.plo.ma. However, the only division that is in conformity with the maximal onset principle is di.plo.ma.

Link
Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics