Help me settle a bet here

[WilliamPitt]

My good friend/bartender Ian believes the name 'Charles' is a two-syllabe word. I believe it is one syllable. The debate has broadened into a $50 bet, and for some reason, I can't find my dictionary.

Can anyone here help me settle this?

[newscott]

1. www.dictionary.com

:evilgrin:

[johnnie]

2. I'm going with two

I have been known to be wrong before.

On edit: After a bit of looking into it, it is one. See, I was wrong.

[Bluebear]

3. dictionary.com has it as one syllable

(chärlz)

:toast:

[johnnie]

7. Merriam-Webster Online has it as two

Pronunciation: 'chär(-&)lz

I think that is two. :shrug:

[purr]

4. I say two nt

[Maestro]

5. One

(chärlz) You win.

[GirlinContempt]

6. 3 dictionaries

agree with you.

[tjdee]

8. One, according to both dictionary.com and common sense.

charlz.

:)

[hfojvt]

10. you mean commonsense.org?

Or Thomas Paine explained it?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Might depend on whether you speak English or American

According to one website, www.behindthename.com ,

it is pronounced:

Pronounced: CHAHR-ulz (English), SHARL (French)

The pronunciation key reads as follows:
Dashes are used to separate syllables. Stressed syllables are written in CAPITALS. Note that in English, the vowel in an unstressed syllable often undergoes a reduction, causing it to be spoken much like the U in the list below.

I don't pronounce it that way-I pronounce it CHARLZ, close to the Germanic form, Karl.

Andy the Name Bender says this about Charles:

Meaning: Man (from the Old English 'ceorl').

Hope this information helps.

BTW, my husband, whose middle name is Charles, is a fan of yours and says to tell the bartender that he agrees with whatever side of the bet you are on.

[Cassandra]

11. Oh that Massachusetts pronunciation!

Why don't you ask everyone how they pronounce Quincy? (I spent 6 years in and around Boston).

[Bluebear]

13. And "Peabody"!

[skygazer]

15. Don't forget "Worcester"

[A-Schwarzenegger]

12. That's exactly why they go with "Chuck".

[SOteric]

14. It's one syllable if you're normal, and two if you're a goofypants.

You may tell him that I said so.

[bridgit]

16. i believe it to be: two...

but i need to go back into 'linguistics - the phonetic origin of words' to be certain. hang tough until. show no quarter until he shows his so as to say :thumbsup:

[Maddy McCall]

17. Two

[ailsagirl]

18. Depends on your nationality

If you're English, it's one; if you're American, it's two

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. You are right

It is one syllable.

I teach reading. You can trust me on this one. :)