Is “dual” one or two syllables?
“dual” has 1 or 2 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 2. DOOL (1) vs DOO-ul (2).
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOO-uhl | /ˈdu.əl/ | d uw · ah l | 2 | CMU dictionary |
| DOOL | /ˈdul/ | d uw l | 1 | 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
Vowel breaking or smoothing before l. A long vowel or diphthong before l (real, girl, oil, smile) often gets an extra schwa-like glide, REE-ul, so speakers hear two syllables where dictionaries write one.
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (UK) /ˈdʒuː.əl/
- Cambridge (US) /ˈduː.ᵊl/, /ˈdu·əl/
- Wiktionary /ˈd͡ʒuː.əl/ (yod-coalescence), /ˈdjuː.əl/ (non-<<yod-coalescence>>), /ˈdul/, /ˈd(j)u.əl/
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
For haiku, sonnets and other syllable-counted verse, 'dual' is safest as 2 syllables, the count most dictionaries give. Poets have also used it as 1 syllable; 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.