I can't do what you are describing (as I understanding it) without saying "Flower" and "FLAURGH". The two words are formed and pronounced exactly the same way in all of my experience and usage. Same lip usage, everything. If by "obvious" you mean "entirely false", then yes. So which letters a word has, how many of them and in what order they come in has no bearing on syllables? Interesting perspective you have. posted by Brockles at 1:56 PM on January 3 Y'all is a contraction for "you all." As such, it is spelled y'all, and it is always plural because it indicates a second-person plural. posted by Houstonian at 2:04 PM on January 3 [ 10 favorites ] I say "queer-y", & I live in Oklahoma. Do you pronounce "wash" as "warsh"? posted by TedW at 2:04 PM on January 3 When I say "flower" my lips mostly close on the "w" and then pop back open again for the "er". When I say "flour" I make the same sound with my throat and tongue, but my lips don't close to break up the syllables. This may or may not be true of you, but it's definitely untrue for the vast majority of English speakers. For them, the two words are homophones. So which letters a word has, how many of them and in what order they come in has no bearing on syllables? Interesting perspective you have. How many syllables a word has relates to it's pronunciation and