How many syllables? Word-by-word guides

Some English words have two defensible syllable counts. Each guide shows every pronunciation with IPA, explains the sound change behind the disagreement, and says which count to use when it matters. For any other word, use the syllable counter.

Words with a disputed syllable count

199 words

actually 2 or 3 or 4 syllables
aged 1 or 2 syllables
aisle 1 or 2 syllables
alien 2 or 3 syllables
aluminum 4 or 5 syllables
athlete 2 or 3 syllables
australia 3 or 4 syllables
average 2 or 3 syllables
basically 3 or 4 syllables
battery 2 or 3 syllables
being 1 or 2 syllables
beloved 2 or 3 syllables
blessed 1 or 2 syllables
boil 1 or 2 syllables
boundary 2 or 3 syllables
brilliant 2 or 3 syllables
business 2 or 3 syllables
cabinet 2 or 3 syllables
california 4 or 5 syllables
camera 2 or 3 syllables
caramel 2 or 3 syllables
casual 2 or 3 syllables
category 3 or 4 syllables
catholic 2 or 3 syllables
cemetery 3 or 4 syllables
champion 2 or 3 syllables
child 1 or 2 syllables
chocolate 2 or 3 syllables
choir 1 or 2 syllables
clothes 1 or 2 syllables
comfortable 3 or 4 syllables
comparable 3 or 4 syllables
conference 2 or 3 syllables
cruel 1 or 2 syllables
cycling 2 or 3 syllables
delivery 3 or 4 syllables
desire 2 or 3 syllables
desperate 2 or 3 syllables
dial 1 or 2 syllables
diamond 2 or 3 syllables
diary 2 or 3 syllables
dictionary 3 or 4 syllables
diet 1 or 2 syllables
difference 2 or 3 syllables
different 2 or 3 syllables
discovery 3 or 4 syllables
doing 1 or 2 syllables
dual 1 or 2 syllables
elementary 4 or 5 syllables
empire 2 or 3 syllables
entire 2 or 3 syllables
especially 3 or 4 syllables
evening 2 or 3 syllables
eventually 4 or 5 syllables
every 2 or 3 syllables
everyday 3 or 4 syllables
everyone 3 or 4 syllables
everything 3 or 4 syllables
everywhere 3 or 4 syllables
extraordinary 5 or 6 syllables
factory 2 or 3 syllables
familiar 3 or 4 syllables
families 2 or 3 syllables
family 2 or 3 syllables
favorite 2 or 3 syllables
february 2 or 3 or 4 syllables
federal 2 or 3 syllables
feel 1 or 2 syllables
file 1 or 2 syllables
film 1 or 2 syllables
finally 2 or 3 syllables
fire 1 or 2 syllables
flour 1 or 2 syllables
flower 1 or 2 syllables
frightening 2 or 3 syllables
fuel 1 or 2 syllables
general 2 or 3 syllables
genius 2 or 3 syllables
giant 1 or 2 syllables
girl 1 or 2 syllables
going 1 or 2 syllables
gradually 3 or 4 syllables
grocery 2 or 3 syllables
happening 2 or 3 syllables
higher 1 or 2 syllables
hire 1 or 2 syllables
history 2 or 3 syllables
hour 1 or 2 syllables
hours 1 or 2 syllables
idea 2 or 3 syllables
ideal 2 or 3 syllables
interested 3 or 4 syllables
interesting 3 or 4 syllables
iron 1 or 2 syllables
january 3 or 4 syllables
jewel 1 or 2 syllables
jewelry 2 or 3 syllables
junior 2 or 3 syllables
layer 1 or 2 syllables
learned 1 or 2 syllables
library 2 or 3 syllables
lion 1 or 2 syllables
listening 2 or 3 syllables
literally 3 or 4 syllables
maintenance 2 or 3 syllables
mayor 1 or 2 syllables
meal 1 or 2 syllables
medicine 2 or 3 syllables
memory 2 or 3 syllables
miles 1 or 2 syllables
military 3 or 4 syllables
million 2 or 3 syllables
museum 2 or 3 syllables
mystery 2 or 3 syllables
national 2 or 3 syllables
natural 2 or 3 syllables
naturally 3 or 4 syllables
necessary 3 or 4 syllables
normally 2 or 3 syllables
nursery 2 or 3 syllables
occasionally 4 or 5 syllables
oil 1 or 2 syllables
onion 2 or 3 syllables
opposite 2 or 3 syllables
orange 1 or 2 syllables
ordinary 3 or 4 syllables
our 1 or 2 syllables
ourselves 2 or 3 syllables
owl 1 or 2 syllables
physically 3 or 4 syllables
piano 2 or 3 syllables
poem 1 or 2 syllables
poetry 2 or 3 syllables
power 1 or 2 syllables
powerful 2 or 3 syllables
practically 3 or 4 syllables
prayer 1 or 2 syllables
preference 2 or 3 syllables
privilege 2 or 3 syllables
probably 2 or 3 syllables
quiet 1 or 2 syllables
real 1 or 2 syllables
realize 2 or 3 syllables
really 2 or 3 syllables
reasonable 3 or 4 syllables
recovery 3 or 4 syllables
reference 2 or 3 syllables
restaurant 2 or 3 syllables
ruin 1 or 2 syllables
school 1 or 2 syllables
science 1 or 2 syllables
secretary 3 or 4 syllables
senior 2 or 3 syllables
separate 2 or 3 syllables
several 2 or 3 syllables
shower 1 or 2 syllables
smile 1 or 2 syllables
soil 1 or 2 syllables
sour 1 or 2 syllables
specifically 4 or 5 syllables
squirrel 1 or 2 syllables
strawberry 2 or 3 syllables
struggling 2 or 3 syllables
style 1 or 2 syllables
suffering 2 or 3 syllables
technically 3 or 4 syllables
temperature 3 or 4 syllables
temporary 3 or 4 syllables
territory 3 or 4 syllables
theater 2 or 3 syllables
theory 2 or 3 syllables
tire 1 or 2 syllables
tired 1 or 2 syllables
towards 1 or 2 syllables
towel 1 or 2 syllables
tower 1 or 2 syllables
traveling 2 or 3 syllables
trial 1 or 2 syllables
typically 3 or 4 syllables
umbrella 3 or 4 syllables
union 2 or 3 syllables
usually 3 or 4 syllables
valuable 3 or 4 syllables
vegetable 3 or 4 syllables
veteran 2 or 3 syllables
victory 2 or 3 syllables
video 2 or 3 syllables
violence 2 or 3 syllables
violent 2 or 3 syllables
violet 2 or 3 syllables
vulnerable 3 or 4 syllables
wednesday 2 or 3 syllables
whale 1 or 2 syllables
wheel 1 or 2 syllables
while 1 or 2 syllables
william 2 or 3 syllables
wire 1 or 2 syllables
world 1 or 2 syllables
wrestling 2 or 3 syllables

Syllables vs. morphemes

216 words

ability 4 syllables
accidentally 5 syllables
activity 4 syllables
advisory 4 syllables
agreement 3 syllables
animal 3 syllables
architectural 5 syllables
area 3 syllables
artist 2 syllables
artistic 3 syllables
assistant 3 syllables
baker 2 syllables
banana 3 syllables
basketball 3 syllables
beautiful 3 syllables
bigger 2 syllables
biology 4 syllables
boxes 2 syllables
builder 2 syllables
butterfly 3 syllables
careful 2 syllables
catcher 2 syllables
celebration 4 syllables
characterization 6 syllables
civilian 3 syllables
classical 3 syllables
classification 5 syllables
cloudy 2 syllables
collection 3 syllables
commentators 4 syllables
commercial 3 syllables
communication 5 syllables
community 4 syllables
computational 5 syllables
computer 3 syllables
consultant 3 syllables
cooking 2 syllables
creativity 5 syllables
criticism 4 syllables
cutter 2 syllables
dancer 2 syllables
decision 3 syllables
democracy 4 syllables
development 4 syllables
developmental 5 syllables
direction 3 syllables
director 3 syllables
dirty 2 syllables
disability 5 syllables
disagreeable 5 syllables
disagreement 4 syllables
disappearance 4 syllables
disappointment 4 syllables
disclosure 3 syllables
dishes 2 syllables
dislike 2 syllables
easily 3 syllables
editorial 5 syllables
education 4 syllables
educational 5 syllables
elephant 3 syllables
encouragement 4 syllables
encyclopedia 6 syllables
enforcement 3 syllables
engineer 3 syllables
enjoyable 4 syllables
environment 4 syllables
equipment 3 syllables
executive 4 syllables
experience 4 syllables
farmer 2 syllables
faster 2 syllables
fastest 2 syllables
fearless 2 syllables
financial 3 syllables
fixing 2 syllables
funny 2 syllables
generation 4 syllables
geography 4 syllables
gladly 2 syllables
government 3 syllables
governmental 4 syllables
grandmother 3 syllables
happy 2 syllables
harmful 2 syllables
heater 2 syllables
helper 2 syllables
helpful 2 syllables
historical 4 syllables
homeless 2 syllables
hunter 2 syllables
imagination 5 syllables
important 3 syllables
impression 3 syllables
inability 5 syllables
independence 4 syllables
inexpensive 4 syllables
information 4 syllables
insecurity 5 syllables
intellectual 5 syllables
international 5 syllables
joyful 2 syllables
jumper 2 syllables
jumping 2 syllables
kicker 2 syllables
kindness 2 syllables
leadership 3 syllables
literature 4 syllables
looking 2 syllables
lucky 2 syllables
majority 4 syllables
management 3 syllables
managerial 5 syllables
mathematics 4 syllables
microwave 3 syllables
misleading 3 syllables
misunderstanding 5 syllables
molecular 4 syllables
nationality 5 syllables
needed 2 syllables
officer 3 syllables
official 3 syllables
officially 4 syllables
organization 5 syllables
original 4 syllables
originally 4 or 5 syllables
otherwise 3 syllables
packing 2 syllables
painted 2 syllables
painter 2 syllables
performance 3 syllables
personality 5 syllables
personalized 4 syllables
personally 3 or 4 syllables
photography 4 syllables
pitcher 2 syllables
playful 2 syllables
playing 2 syllables
politician 4 syllables
potato 3 syllables
preview 2 syllables
problematic 4 syllables
protection 3 syllables
question 2 syllables
quickly 2 syllables
radio 3 syllables
rainy 2 syllables
reading 2 syllables
realistic 4 syllables
reality 4 syllables
refrigerator 5 syllables
relationship 4 syllables
remember 3 syllables
reminder 3 syllables
removal 3 syllables
renewable 4 syllables
replacement 3 syllables
replay 2 syllables
representative 5 syllables
researcher 3 syllables
responsibility 6 syllables
rewrite 2 syllables
rider 2 syllables
runner 2 syllables
sadly 2 syllables
sadness 2 syllables
security 4 syllables
singer 2 syllables
slowly 2 syllables
smaller 2 syllables
softly 2 syllables
statutory 4 syllables
subdivision 4 syllables
successfully 4 syllables
sunny 2 syllables
supernatural 5 syllables
swimmer 2 syllables
systematic 4 syllables
talking 2 syllables
tallest 2 syllables
teacher 2 syllables
teaches 2 syllables
technology 4 syllables
tendency 3 syllables
thankful 2 syllables
together 3 syllables
tomato 3 syllables
tomorrow 3 syllables
transformation 4 syllables
transportation 4 syllables
unacceptable 5 syllables
unbelievable 5 syllables
uncomfortable 5 syllables
understand 3 syllables
unemployment 4 syllables
unexpectedly 5 syllables
unfair 2 syllables
unfortunate 4 syllables
unfortunately 5 syllables
unhappiness 4 syllables
university 5 syllables
unlock 2 syllables
unsuccessful 4 syllables
unusually 4 or 5 syllables
useful 2 syllables
vaccination 4 syllables
victorious 4 syllables
violin 3 syllables
walker 2 syllables
walking 2 syllables
wanted 2 syllables
watermelon 4 syllables
wishes 2 syllables
wonderful 3 syllables
writer 2 syllables
yesterday 3 syllables