lion and lyon are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. lion means “large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male”. lyon means “a city in east-central France on the Rhone River; a principal producer of silk and rayon”. lion is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈlaɪən/
1.n.large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
2.n.a celebrity who is lionized (much sought after)
3.n.(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo
| lion | lyon | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈlaɪən/ | /ˈlaɪən/ |
| Said | LAHY-uhn | LAHY-uhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 4 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | king of beasts, Panthera leo | Lyons |
Full entry for lion · Full entry for lyon · More comparisons
/ˈlaɪən/
1.n.a city in east-central France on the Rhone River; a principal producer of silk and rayon