Is “lion” one or two syllables?
“lion” has 1 or 2 syllables, depending on how you say it. Most dictionaries count 2. LY-un (2) vs LYN (1).
Every pronunciation, counted
| Say it like | IPA | Syllables | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LY-uhn | /ˈlaɪ.ən/ | l ay · ah n | 2 | CMU dictionary |
| LYN | /ˈlaɪn/ | l ay n | 1 | Wiktionary |
Syllables are shown in ARPAbet (the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary's phoneme alphabet). Respellings put the stressed syllable in capitals.
Why the count varies
Vowel merging (two vowels in a row). Two adjacent vowels (po-em, li-on, sci-ence, be-ing) can be run together into one syllable in casual or regional speech, so the count drops by one.
What the dictionaries say
- Cambridge (UK) /ˈlaɪ.ən/
- Cambridge (US) /ˈlaɪ.ən/, /ˈlɑɪ·ən/, /ˈlɑɪ·ə·nəs/
- Wiktionary /ˈlaɪən/
For haiku, sonnets and song lyrics
For haiku, sonnets and other syllable-counted verse, 'lion' 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.