Syllables

[inorderto]

How many syllables does "pool" have?
Thanks in advance.

[BobK]

One: /pu:l/. This differs from "pull" in the quality of the vowel, not in the number of syllables. Most English words (especially monosyllables) use either /u:/ or /ʊ/ for "oo".



PS: I'm talking about British English pronunciation, as is my wont

[inorderto]

One: /pu:l/. This differs from "pull" in the quality of the vowel, not in the number of syllables. Most English words (especially monosyllables) use either /u:/ or /ʊ/ for "oo".

b

Only ONE? This is what I thought. I came across this word in a book of training American accent. The author said that "POOL" has THREE syllables. That why I have to ask you to confirm.

Thanks.

[BobK]

Only ONE? This is what I thought. I came across this word in a book of training American accent. The author said that "POOL" has THREE syllables. That why I have to ask you to confirm.

Thanks.

THREE? Some accents from the US might give it two (I'm not sure of my ground here, but think of Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night...). But I can't imagine how it could have three, even in the speech of the most red-necked of red-necks! And lyric writers trying to find a rhyme for 'you'll' might stretch the /u:/ sound out so that it ends with a schwa.

In Britain, it's one.

b

[inorderto]

THREE? Some accents from the US might give it two (I'm not sure of my ground here, but think of Rod Steiger in In the Heat of the Night...). But I can't imagine how it could have three, even in the speech of the most red-necked of red-necks! And lyric writers trying to find a rhyme for 'you'll' might stretch the /u:/ sound out so that it ends with a schwa.

In Britain, it's one.

b

Yes, THREE. The following is quoted from this book:

Pool looks like a nice, one-syllable word, but if you say it this way, at best, it will sound like pull, and at worst will be unintelligible to your listener. For clear comprehension, you need to say three syllables (pu/wuh/luh). Where did
that W come from? It's certainly not written down anywhere, but it is there just as definitely as the P is there.

[BobK]

Yes, THREE. The following is quoted from this book:

Pool looks like a nice, one-syllable word, but if you say it this way, at best, it will sound like pull, and at worst will be unintelligible to your listener. For clear comprehension, you need to say three syllables (pu/wuh/luh). Where did
that W come from? It's certainly not written down anywhere, but it is there just as definitely as the P is there.

If someone (not a Briton) were to pronounce the letters "oo" as two vowels, /u:/ followed by /ʊ/ (not the diphthong /ʊə/ - which some courses - like Cutting Edge for example - seem to think has died out) a /w/ phoneme would be used to link them. But I don't understand the "luh" syllable; I'm not sure the writer does either.

b

PS But he is not talking about British English. Maybe in American English you do distinguish "pool" from "pull" by changing the number of syllable rather than (as in Br E) changing the quality of the vowel; that leaves the third 'syllable' to account for. We'd better wait for some transatlantic guidance.

[RonBee]

There is very little difference between "pool" and "pull" (if any) where I come from, but they are both one syllable.