How many syllables in 'diamond'

[Aparecium]

I'm in SE England and always say it in two syllables: DI-mond. But I've just been listening to an audiobook read in a very RP accent, and every character gives it three syllables: DI-a-mond. The a is more of a neutral shwah sound than a flat a.

AFAIK I speak RP with a slight foreign accent at times (1st gen immigrant).

So, which is right?

Me to. And the D is very clear when I say it.

Li-bree is just wrong!

Using the Kings English, it has 2.

Working class: di mund
Not working class, or pretending not to be- 3 di- a- mund.

The sound that comes out of my mouth is Di-mund (2 syllables) but in my head there is a very faint -a- between them and it would not sound odd to hear someone else enunciate “a” more clearly.

Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend doesn’t scan very well with 3 syllables but “Shine Bright like a Diamond” does seem to work 😀.

Die mund. Two.
Relatively well spoken South West Midlands person here.

I (north-west) say “die-mnd” but I’ve heard posh people say it more like “daahr-mond”.

Three for me, die-uh-mund though the uh is very quick and subtle. Same for library, it's lie-buh-ree for me

Aargh lie buh ree is worse than li-bree!

If you are going to do three syllables do them properly!

3 but the a is like a very short "uh" sound, it's definitely not just 2.

My one I can never work out which way I say it -

Battery...

(do-mons here.)

Same. Di-mond.

As with secretary. People in the UK can’t say it any more.

I say “dire-mund” (I think). So - just over two 😂 ?!

(RP, reasonably posh generally)

Sec-ret-ah-ree

How else would it be said?

Seketerry.

Diamond - 2
Library - 3
February - 4 and include the r
Athlete - 2 - who an earth would use 3?
Violet - 2.5
Wednesday - 2 - Wensday

South east - neutral accent

I'd say sek-ruh-tree. And di-mond.

London. Don't have a particularly London accent, more non-specific southern England but at the posher end.

Hmmm difficult one.

I initially thought surely it’s 3. Di a mond

The way it’s said is 2 though.

However, with the shape of our mouths, it’s not really possible to go from the I of Diamond to the M, as to make the M sound correctly you kinda pass through a somewhat silent A.

If you don’t then you say Di Mund which isn’t really how the word is said. So I’m still sticking with 3.

Edit to add, having said that, neither way is really wrong, di-a-mond/di-mond so I think it’s impossible to really say.

Sec-re-tary vs sec-a-try

I'm on time.

You don't say "I-um on tie-um".

Same here, Irish, 2 syllables

Same here, SE.

OED has both 2 and 3 syllable pronunciations as being listed.

2 I would have thought, depending on accents I suppose. NE accent here so probably just 1 🤣

I managed to muddle up secretary with secretory at school.

I probably say sec-reh-tree. I'm not sure now, maybe I say sec-reh-teh-ree. But I definitely know better than to say sec-REE-tuh-ree 🤣