Is “every” two or three syllables?
“every” has 2 or 3 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 2. EV-ree (2) vs EV-er-ee (3). Cambridge gives only 2; CMU's first form has 3.
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV-er-ee | /ˈɛv.ɚ.i/ | eh v · er · iy | 3 | CMU dictionary |
| EV-ree | /ˈɛv.ɹi/ | eh v · r iy | 2 | 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
Schwa dropping (syncope). An unstressed vowel between consonants drops out in fluent speech, so a syllable disappears: family becomes FAM-lee, camera becomes KAM-ruh. Dictionaries list the full form, the reduced form, or both.
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (UK) /ˈev.ri/
- Cambridge (US) /ˈev.ri/, /ˈev·ri/
- Wiktionary /ˈɛv.(ə.)ɹi/ (RP,GA,CA), /ˈev.(ə.)ɹi/ (AU,NZ)
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
For haiku, sonnets and other syllable-counted verse, 'every' is safest as 2 syllables, the count most dictionaries give. Poets have also used it as 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.