Is “actually” two, three or four syllables?
“actually” has 2 or 3 or 4 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 4. AK-choo-uh-lee (4) vs AK-shuh-lee (3) vs AKSH-lee (2).
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK-choo-uh-lee | /ˈæk.ˌtʃu.ə.li/ | ae k · ch uw · ah · l iy | 4 | CMU dictionary |
| AKCH-lee | /ˈæktʃ.li/ | ae k ch · l iy | 2 | CMU dictionary |
| AK-shuh-lee | /ˈæk.ʃə.li/ | ae k · sh ah · l iy | 3 | CMU dictionary |
Syllables are shown in ARPAbet (the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary's phoneme alphabet). Respellings put the stressed syllable in capitals.
Why the count varies
-ually / -ically reduction. The endings -ually and -ically are pronounced in full, partly reduced, or collapsed (ak-choo-uh-lee, ak-shuh-lee, aksh-lee), giving two or three counts for one word.
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (UK) /ˈæk.tʃu.ə.li/
- Cambridge (US) /ˈæk.tʃu.ə.li/, /ˈæk·tʃu·ə·li/
- Wiktionary /ˈæk(t)ʃᵿli/ (RP), /ˈæk(t)ʃʊəli/ (RP), /ˈæt͡ʃ.u.li/ (UK,nonstandard), /ˈæt͡ʃ.ə.li/ (UK,nonstandard)
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
For haiku, sonnets and other syllable-counted verse, 'actually' is safest as 4 syllables, the count most dictionaries give. Poets have also used it as 2 syllables or 3 syllables; either scans if the line is read naturally, but say which you mean if the count matters (haiku judges usually accept the dictionary count).
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Pronunciations from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, checked against Cambridge Dictionary and Wiktionary transcriptions. Hyphenation from the hyph_en_US patterns.