How to pronounce hum
Say it like HUHM. Hum 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 hum. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HUHM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hum pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HUHMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "u" in cup.
American vs British pronunciation of hum
American and British speakers say hum in essentially the same way: /hʌm/ in the US and /hʌm/ in the UK.
British respelling: HUHM.
What does hum mean?
- sing with closed lips“She hummed a melody”
- be noisy with activity“This office is buzzing with activity”
- sound with a monotonous hum
- the state of being or appearing to be actively engaged in an activity“they manifested all the busyness of a pack of beavers”“there is a constant hum of military preparation”
- an Islamic fundamentalist group in Pakistan that fought the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s; now operates as a terrorist organization primarily in Kashmir and seeks Kashmir's accession by Pakistan
- a humming noise“the hum of distant traffic”
Where does hum come from?
From Middle English hummen (“to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment”); akin to Dutch hommelen (“to bumble, buzz”), dialectal Dutch hommen (“to buzz, hum”), Middle High German hummen (“to hum”), probably ultimatel
Words that rhyme with hum
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hum.
Questions about saying hum
How do you pronounce hum?
Say HUHM. The American pronunciation is /hʌm/. In British English it is /hʌm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hum?
Hum is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HUHM.
Do Americans and Brits say hum the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hʌm/ and the British form is /hʌm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.