# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/21 "2011-05-15T07:51:40Z")
I came up with four - Chad, France, Laos, and Spain - and stopped. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten Greece if I had kept going for a fifth one. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/22 "2011-05-15T08:20:58Z")
Crap. Had one, but I guess it is 2. 😕 I blame it on the French for ruining everything. :o ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/23 "2011-05-15T10:23:38Z")
I got Chad ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/24 "2011-05-15T10:23:46Z")
Chad Spain France Guam Wales Although assume the last 2 don’t count. Didn’t make my way around the other side of Europe! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/25 "2011-05-15T10:31:19Z")
Spain France Greece That’s all I got. [Upon review: fuckin’ Chad] ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/26 "2011-05-15T10:44:16Z")
Incidentally - how on earth is “Laos” one syllable? It’s pronounce Lah-Ohss; two clearly defined sounds. ---
**Author:** ![silverfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@silverfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverfish)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/27 "2011-05-15T11:02:53Z")
I have 5 possibles. I think France, Spain, Guam and Chad are probably the 4, and that you aren’t counting Wales, but I could be wrong on Guam and Chad being countries. ETA: Of course, Greece. Guam is a territory of the USA. And you aren’t counting Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/28 "2011-05-15T14:11:52Z")
Spain Chad France Greece ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/29 "2011-05-15T14:15:42Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > Crap. Had one, but I guess it is 2. 😕 I blame it on the French for ruining everything. :o Crap isn’t a country. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/30 "2011-05-15T14:21:06Z")
Of course Wales is a country, don’t be so silly… ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/31 "2011-05-15T14:31:19Z")
Without readiing the rest of the thread; [ul]Spain Greece Chad France[/ul] No map needed. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/32 "2011-05-15T15:13:27Z")
I got Chad, France, Spain, Guam, Greece, and Laos. At a very young age, I memorized the Animaniacs song “Countries of the World”. It’s been a great source of trivia busting ever since ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/33 "2011-05-15T15:18:42Z")
1. Wales 2. Laos 3. France 4. Spain ETA: Wait, Wales & Laos aren’t countries? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/34 "2011-05-15T15:29:01Z")
In the order I thought of them: Chad Greece Spain France For some reason Chad and then Greece came to me very quickly, but it took a minute to think of Spain and France. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/35 "2011-05-15T15:35:08Z")
In the order I thought of them: [ol] [li]Chad\*[/li][li]France[/li][li]Spain[/li][li]Laos\*\*[/li][/ol] \*How the fuck was this the first one I thought of? \*\*I say it with one syllable. Time to check the answers. I see I missed Greece. I don’t think Guam counts. I always feel weird calling Wales a country, but I guess it is. As for the pronunciation of Laos, wikipedia and others list /ˈlaʊs/ as acceptable in English. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/36 "2011-05-15T15:45:37Z")
Chad was the first one I thought of. the second was Eire -the Irish name for Ireland. I guess that didn’t count. StG ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/37 "2011-05-15T15:47:31Z")
I got 'em, but only because I saw [this quiz](http://www.sporcle.com/games/SamB45/onesyllable) on Sporcle the other day. ---
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/38 "2011-05-15T15:48:48Z")
France, Chad, Greece, Spain. All within a minute. How many Internets do I win? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/39 "2011-05-15T16:26:02Z")
hmm Greece, Spain, France, Chad, uh Guam came to mind but it isn’t a country. Really, only 4? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-this-interesting-there-are-only-four-countries-on-earth-with-a-one-syllable-name/581967/40 "2011-05-15T16:54:06Z")
I’m game. I would say: Chad France Spain Wales Laos Greece Wait, that is more than 4 right there. 😕 [Previous 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=1) [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=3)