A few weeks ago, I lamented about the number of syllables in the letter W. I asked for he be given equal treatment to the alphabet’s other 25 one-syllable letters.
Today, I have the same concern for seven. You see, of the single digit numbers, all but seven enjoy one-syllable conciseness.
(In case you are wondering about zero, we already have “aught,” so there is no need to advance another alternative. Nil also means zero, though I have yet to hear it used in this context.)
Therefore, to offer fairness to seven, treating him like the other single digit numbers, I propose we give him a nickname of “sev” (rhymes with “rev”). I suppose it could be written like a contraction: sev’.
However, this brings up another problem. Seven and Eleven rhyme. So to maintain this convention, if seven becomes sev’, then eleven needs to become ‘lev’ (again rhyming with rev) for the purposes of consistency.
Adopting both of these recommendations will result in one syllable counting from aught to twelve.
What do you think? Do you want to try it?
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Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
