How to pronounce drum
Say it like DRUHM. Drum 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 drum. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- DRUHM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Drum pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- DRUHMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of drum
American and British speakers say drum in essentially the same way: /drʌm/ in the US and /drʌm/ in the UK.
British respelling: DRUHM.
What does drum mean?
- a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
- the sound of a drum“he could hear the drums before he heard the fifes”
- a bulging cylindrical shape; hollow with flat ends
- make a rhythmic sound“Rain drummed against the windshield”“The drums beat all night”
- play a percussion instrument
- study intensively, as before an exam“I had to bone up on my Latin verbs before the final exam”
Where does drum come from?
Or perhaps borrowed directly from a continental Germanic language; compare Middle Dutch tromme (“drum”), Middle Low German trumme (“drum”) et al.
Words that rhyme with drum
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of drum.
Questions about saying drum
How do you pronounce drum?
Say DRUHM. The American pronunciation is /drʌm/. In British English it is /drʌm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in drum?
Drum is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: DRUHM.
Do Americans and Brits say drum the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /drʌm/ and the British form is /drʌm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.