How to pronounce cram
Say it like KRAM. Cram is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce cram. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- KRAM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Cram pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- KRAMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
American vs British pronunciation of cram
American and British speakers say cram in essentially the same way: /kræm/ in the US and /kræm/ in the UK.
British respelling: KRAM.
What does cram mean?
- To press, force, or drive, particularly in filling, or in thrusting one thing into another; to stuff; to fill to superfluity.“to cram fruit into a basket; to cram a room with people”
- To fill with food to satiety; to stuff.“The boy crammed himself with cake”
- To put hastily through an extensive course of memorizing or study, as in preparation for an examination.“A pupil is crammed by his tutor.”
- The act of cramming (forcing or stuffing something).
- Information hastily memorized.“a cram from an examination”
- A warp having more than two threads passing through each dent or split of the reed.
Where does cram come from?
From Middle English crammen, from Old English crammian (“to cram; stuff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krammōn, from Proto-Germanic *krammōną, a secondary verb derived from *krimmaną (“to stuff”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to assemble; collect; gather”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Words that rhyme with cram
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of cram.
Questions about saying cram
How do you pronounce cram?
Say KRAM. The American pronunciation is /kræm/. In British English it is /kræm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in cram?
Cram is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: KRAM.
Do Americans and Brits say cram the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /kræm/ and the British form is /kræm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.