Is “blessed” one or two syllables?
“blessed” has 1 or 2 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 2. BLEST (1, 'she blessed them') vs BLES-id (2, 'the blessed saints').
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLEST | /ˈblɛst/ | b l eh s t | 1 | CMU dictionary |
| BLES-id | /ˈblɛs.ɪd/ | b l eh s · ih d | 2 | Cambridge (US) |
Syllables are shown in ARPAbet (the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary's phoneme alphabet). Respellings put the stressed syllable in capitals.
Why the count varies
Meaning-dependent pronunciation. The same spelling is pronounced with different counts depending on its meaning or part of speech (prayer, aged, learned, blessed, separate).
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (US) /ˈbles·ɪd/
- Wiktionary /ˈblɛsɪd/, /blɛst/
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
The count follows the meaning (BLEST (1, 'she blessed them') vs BLES-id (2, 'the blessed saints').). In a haiku or metrical line, count the reading you intend; readers will hear the other only if the context invites it.
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Pronunciations from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, checked against Cambridge Dictionary and Wiktionary transcriptions. Hyphenation from the hyph_en_US patterns.