Do you pronounce "fire" with one syllable or two?
Do you pronounce "fire" with one syllable or two?
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Fire · Ohio Players Fire ℗ A Mercury Records Release; ℗ 1974 UMG Recordings, Inc. Released on: 1991-01-15 Producer: Ohio Players Associated Performer, Flute, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Saxophone, Vocals: Clarence Satchel...
"Fire": one syllable or two? | Ask the Editor | Britannica Dictionary
The word fire can be pronounced with one syllable or two.
Shelly asks if fire is one syllable or two because her students are using the word in haiku.
Our Pronunciation Editor Josh Guenter responds:
The word fire can be pronounced with either one or two syllables. Native speakers can rhyme fire with higher or not. The word higher is always two syllables. Hence, if you rhyme fire with higher, then you are pronouncing fire with two syllables, whereas if you don't rhyme these two words, then you are pronouncing fire with just one syllable.
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I pronounce it with two syllables personally, but I grew up in the southern US so I’ve also heard it with one by many family members and friends. If I affect a southern drawl it becomes one syllable but that accent isn’t natural to me