A syllable is a unit of blended sounds considered to be the phonological building blocks of words.
Listed here are the number of U.S. states by syllable.
One thing to note: There is probably some regional debate about the syllable count of some states ending with “ia”. California tends to be pronounced with two syllables: “n-ya”. Virginia and Pennsylvania are typically pronounced with one syllable: “nyuh”.
How Many States Have Only One Syllable?
Maine is the only state in the United States that has only one syllable.
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How Many States Have Two Syllables?
There are six states with two syllables in their name:
- Georgia
- Kansas
- New York
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
How Many States Have Three Syllables?
The most common syllable count for names of states is three. There are 25 states with names that have three syllables:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
How Many States Have Four Syllables?
There are fourteen states with names that have four syllables:
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Indiana
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- West Virginia
How Many States Have Five Syllables?
There are four states that have names with five syllables:
- California
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
Note that California is the only state ending in “ia” that pronounces it “n-ya” versus the “nyuh” ending of Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Table of States and Syllable Count
Here is a complete list of states by syllable.
| State | Syllable Count |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 4 |
| Alaska | 3 |
| Arizona | 4 |
| Arkansas | 3 |
| California | 5 |
| Colorado | 4 |
| Connecticut | 4 |
| Delaware | 3 |
| Florida | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| Hawaii | 3 |
| Idaho | 3 |
| Illinois | 3 |
| Indiana | 4 |
| Iowa | 3 |
| Kansas | 2 |
| Kentucky | 3 |
| Louisiana | 5 |
| Maine | 1 |
| Maryland | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 4 |
| Michigan | 3 |
| Minnesota | 4 |
| Mississippi | 4 |
| Missouri | 3 |
| Montana | 3 |
| Nebraska | 3 |
| Nevada | 3 |
| New Hampshire | 3 |
| New Jersey | 3 |
| New Mexico | 4 |
| New York | 2 |
| North Carolina | 5 |
| North Dakota | 4 |
| Ohio | 3 |
| Oklahoma | 4 |
| Oregon | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 4 |
| Rhode Island | 3 |
| South Carolina | 5 |
| South Dakota | 4 |
| Tennessee | 3 |
| Texas | 2 |
| Utah | 2 |
| Vermont | 2 |
| Virginia | 3 |
| Washington | 3 |
| West Virginia | 4 |
| Wisconsin | 3 |
| Wyoming | 3 |
