Finale's default lyric spacing options accommodate long syllables at the beginning of measures by automatically nudging the syllable to the left of the note when appropriate and/or shifting the position of the attached note. From the Lyrics menu, choose Adjust Syllables, and then right-click the a syllable handle and choose Align Default to allow syllables to "float" automatically (this is the default setting).
The following example illustrates the difference between left-aligned, center-aligned, and default-aligned ("floating").
