# The word "Fire". 1 syllable or two? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988 "2004-10-25T03:38:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/21 "2004-10-25T20:52:26Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > ::thinks back to old Doors song: _Come on baby, light my FIIIIIIIIIII-YERRRRRRRR!!!_ > Yah, definitely two syllables. Actually, we should ask a Southern Baptist preacher. We could end up with as many as 5 or 6 syllables. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/22 "2004-10-25T21:36:44Z")
I can’t think of an example, but I write metrical poetry and you can find poems in which poets used the one syllable pronunciation of “fire” in one line, and the two syllable pronunciation in another. Your ear can switch back and forth between the two based solely on context clues. So, it’s both, neither, or either, depending on your point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/23 "2004-10-25T21:41:31Z")
_Can’t sleep 'cause my bed’s on Fy-err Don’t touch me, I’m a real live WY-err_ 2 syllables. Just like “wire.” ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/24 "2004-10-25T22:42:28Z")
It’s that letter “i” that’s the problem. What about the word “child”? Do you say it chay-uld or chaaaahld? I think it might be a regional thing, with the “correct” pronunciation being one syllable but in the colloquial, many people do weird things with that “i” sound. Myself included. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/25 "2004-10-25T23:33:11Z")
Well, if it’s Elmer Fudd pronouncing it, it’s definately TWO (2) syllables. > [@SHAKES](#): > > Well, I’m from Texas … > > Far! Which is why nativity scenes in this part of the country frequently depict the the three wisemen as firemen. Because they came from … ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/26 "2004-10-26T00:03:58Z")
Fa-yer. Two silly bulls. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/27 "2004-10-26T01:30:24Z")
2 syllables if you listen to the Ohio Players song: Fire (Uh) [Uh] Fire (It’s all about) [Uh, uh] Fire (Woo, woo, woo) Fire The way you walk and talk really sets me off To a fuller love, child, yes, it does, uh The way you squeeze and tease, knocks to me my knees ‘Cause I’m smokin’, baby, baby Now I can’t get the damn song out of my head. Thanks a lot. Yes… I recently had a birthday and I just turned old. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/28 "2004-10-26T02:33:09Z")
> [@Ponder Stibbons](#): > > Which is why nativity scenes in this part of the country frequently depict the the three wisemen as firemen. > > Because they came from … Orient? I don’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/29 "2004-10-26T02:56:58Z")
> [@SHAKES](#): > > Well, I’m from Texas so from where I’m stad’n it only has one. And it’s pronouced fo-net-icly: > > Far! Raht, it’s got three fewer sylluhbuls than ‘shit’! ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/30 "2004-10-26T02:58:07Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > Orient? I don’t get it. They came from _afar_. Or, with the accent, _a fire_. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/31 "2004-10-26T02:59:20Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > 2 syllables. Just like “wire.” [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67) Wire has just one syllable like fire. Song lyrics tend to be a poor choice to point to as examples as singers often will sing words in an unusual way to match the music. Particularly the case if the melody was written first, and the lyrics afterwards. A lot of this whole issue is regional variations in pronunciation. That radio announcer who posted earlier is trained to not use regional variations. Consider the case of an announcer who was broadcasting nationally. He’d want what he is saying to sound more of less right everywhere. The de facto standard pronunciation in American English is what they speak in Peoria, and not Dallas or Atlanta. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/32 "2004-10-26T03:04:40Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67) > > Wire has just one syllable like fire. it was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/33 "2004-10-26T03:04:50Z")
Phonetically, it seems to be [fijr] (can’t do the little capital “i” on the SDMB)–no schwa as far as I can see. You can pronounce it [fir], as one, or include the dipthong as [fijr]–[fi] and [yr], two syllables. ---
**Author:** ![smartini](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@smartini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smartini)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/34 "2004-10-26T03:14:13Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > The de facto standard pronunciation in American English is what they speak in Peoria, and not Dallas or Atlanta. Pee-O-ree-aah? :eek: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/35 "2004-10-26T04:50:16Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > [http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67](http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=wire&r=67) > > Wire has just one syllable like fire. Song lyrics tend to be a poor choice to point to as examples as singers often will sing words in an unusual way to match the music. Particularly the case if the melody was written first, and the lyrics afterwards. A lot of this whole issue is regional variations in pronunciation. That radio announcer who posted earlier is trained to not use regional variations. Consider the case of an announcer who was broadcasting nationally. He’d want what he is saying to sound more of less right everywhere. The de facto standard pronunciation in American English is what they speak in Peoria, and not Dallas or Atlanta. Funny you should say that. I grew up in central IL just 15 minutes north of Peoria. 😃 No shit! We say it “FI-er”. ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/36 "2004-10-26T05:05:30Z")
> [@Stinkpalm](#): > > Funny you should say that. I grew up in central IL just 15 minutes north of Peoria. 😃 > > No shit! > > We say it “FI-er”. In Lansing, MI, not far from Illinois, I hear both variations in use. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/37 "2004-10-26T06:03:57Z")
> [@rfgdxm](#): > > In Lansing, MI, not far from Illinois, I hear both variations in use. Same place, but I definitely say it with two syllables; I’ll need to pay attention to how people around me say it. Funny . . . just this evening I was thinking about “world” and “girl” - both of those are two syllables for me, the second having a syllabic L. I can’t even twist my mouth around a one-syllable version. ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/38 "2004-10-26T06:19:41Z")
**liberal** says that the _r_ is causing the problem and **Rubystreak** says it is the _i_ that is to blame. I think they are both overlooking the fact that the _f_ started the whole thing. As to how southerners pronounce “fire”, it depends on what part of the south you are in ( **lib** will most likely back me up on this). If you really want to hear the word pronounced correctly, go to the hills of Tennesse. 😉 [sup] **Then ask them to say “chair”, it will rhyme with “fire”** [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/39 "2004-10-26T06:39:08Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > Same place, but I definitely say it with two syllables; I’ll need to pay attention to how people around me say it. > > Funny . . . just this evening I was thinking about “world” and “girl” - both of those are two syllables for me, the second having a syllabic L. I can’t even twist my mouth around a one-syllable version. So you are from the Lansing area? Curious. I was actually raised in a northern suburb of Detroit. For me, there isn’t even the slightest hint of 2 syllables when I pronounce girl and world. I have to admit that if I slow down my speech significantly slower than usual, fire does come out as 2 syllables. However, at the normal speed I just glide into the r sound at the end. However, no matter how slow I say world and girl, it is a clean glide into the l sound. When the ending is an l sound, my normal speech pattern is just always a clean glide into it. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2004, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988/40 "2004-10-26T08:53:28Z")
> [@kniz](#): > > **liberal** says that the _r_ is causing the problem and **Rubystreak** says it is the _i_ that is to blame. I think they are both overlooking the fact that the _f_ started the whole thing. > > As to how southerners pronounce “fire”, it depends on what part of the south you are in ( **lib** will most likely back me up on this). If you really want to hear the word pronounced correctly, go to the hills of Tennesse. > 😉 [sup] **Then ask them to say “chair”, it will rhyme with “fire”** [/sup] It truly is amazing how rich and varied Southern accents are. There are even portions of the South (large portions) where the long “i” is not a diphthong at all. It’s a sound akin to “a” in cat, but a bit sharper, with a relaxed palate. Regarding Rubystreak’s example of “child”, it is once again the liquid consonant that is the problem. Both “l” and “r” come with initial sounds preceding them. It isn’t the “i”. Consider “vile” and “vale” and “veal”. They all get the schwa — vi-uhl, vey-uhl, vee-uhl. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-word-fire-1-syllable-or-two/270988.md?page=3)