# I found this interesting: There are only four countries on Earth with a one-syllable name. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 15, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967 "2011-05-15T05:54:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/1 "2011-05-15T05:54:41Z")
Can you name them without: 1. Looking at a map 2. Reading the replies or 3. Clicking the spoiler box (in which I’ve included the answer)? Think about it as long as you want and then reply with what you came up with. Then click here to find out what four countries they are: France, Spain, Greece, and Chad ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/2 "2011-05-15T05:59:23Z")
France Spain Chad Drawing a blank on the fourth… ETA: (after looking at spoiler) ah, but of course ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/3 "2011-05-15T06:06:08Z")
Burkina Faso? ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/4 "2011-05-15T06:07:30Z")
Earth! No… Canada! no… España! … Dammit! ETA: ::smack:: on France and Greece… I don’t think I would’ve gotten Chad. It’s late. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/5 "2011-05-15T06:11:15Z")
Closest I got was Guam, and it’s not a country. And the first three should have been easy. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/6 "2011-05-15T06:11:38Z")
Heh, Chad was the first and only one I thought of. It didn’t even occur to me to hit up Europe. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/7 "2011-05-15T06:13:59Z")
France, España, Hellas and Chad… I count only two! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/8 "2011-05-15T06:18:37Z")
I came up with 5:[ol] [li]France[/li][li]Greece[/li][li]Wales[/li][li]Spain[/li][li]Laos[/ol]Although Wales may be a bit of a technicality.[/li]And I missed Chad. 6. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/9 "2011-05-15T06:19:30Z")
My first guess was Laos, wiki indicates that it’s officially the Lao People’s Democratic. But it brings up an interesting problem with the factoid, one-syllable name to whom? ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/10 "2011-05-15T06:21:36Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > My first guess was Laos, wiki indicates that it’s officially the Lao People’s Democratic. But it brings up an interesting problem with the factoid, one-syllable name to whom? Huh, is it “louse”, then? Because I’ve always pronounced it “La-O’s” (which, when I say it, is two syllables). ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/11 "2011-05-15T06:22:38Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Huh, is it “louse”, then? Because I’ve always pronounced it “La-O’s” (which, when I say it, is two syllables). I’ve always heard it pronounced as “louse”, and Merriam-Webster’s little .wmv agrees with that. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/12 "2011-05-15T06:22:53Z")
Yes, when I saw Spain on the list, I immediately thought, “But to a spaniard, it’s Espana!” Perhaps it needs a qualifier, “The four countries on Earth with a one-syllable English name.” And I only got France and Chad. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/13 "2011-05-15T06:26:08Z")
Oh, and the source for this bit of trivia was a Bathroom Reader (in case anyone wondered). Copyright 2006. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/14 "2011-05-15T06:30:20Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Yes, when I saw Spain on the list, I immediately thought, “But to a spaniard, it’s Espana!” Perhaps it needs a qualifier, “The four countries on Earth with a one-syllable English name.” And I only got France and Chad. The way many Hispanics pronounce English, Spain even has two syllables in English 🙂 (Es-páin) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/15 "2011-05-15T06:38:06Z")
Got it. France Spain Greece Chad ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/16 "2011-05-15T06:58:42Z")
Following the rules of the OP, I’ve come up with France, Spain, Guam, and Wales. But Guam probably doesn’t count since it is a U.S. territory, and I’m not sure if Wales counts either as it is a part of the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Sevastopol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cdc98d/32.png) [@Sevastopol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sevastopol)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/17 "2011-05-15T07:05:22Z")
Eire ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/18 "2011-05-15T07:23:01Z")
Oz ---
**Author:** ![Telperion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telperion/32/509_2.png) [@Telperion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperion)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/19 "2011-05-15T07:25:50Z")
I also count Schweiz/Suisse and Miṣr, but it seems true that there aren’t a whole lot of them even in native forms. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/20 "2011-05-15T07:44:18Z")
Here’s how my thought process went: Chad Guam… except that’s a territory, isn’t it? Laos: does that count as one syllable or two? Hmmm… Spain! Yeah. Although, the English name is one syllable, but the “native language” name isn’t. Which kind of name did the OP have in mind? Would one-syllable names in other languages count? Any other European countries? Oh yeah, France! So, is that four yet. Lemme just look at the spoiler box and see how I did. … Oh yeah, Greece! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967.md?page=2)