How to pronounce humbug
Say it like HUHM-buhg. Humbug has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HUHM).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce humbug. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HUHM
- buhg
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Humbug 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 relaxed "uh" in about.
- buhgGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the relaxed "uh" in about.
American vs British pronunciation of humbug
American and British speakers say humbug in essentially the same way: /ˈhəmˌbəɡ/ in the US and /ˈhʌmbʌɡ/ in the UK.
British respelling: HUHM-bug.
What does humbug mean?
- A hoax, jest, or prank.
- A fraud or sham; (uncountable) hypocrisy.
- A cheat, fraudster, or hypocrite.
- To play a trick on (someone), to cheat, to swindle, to deceive.
- To fight; to act tough.
- Balderdash!, nonsense!, rubbish!
Where does humbug come from?
Hotten also said he had traced the earliest occurrence of the word to the title page of Ferdinando Killigrew’s book The Universal Jester (see quotations), which he dated to about 1735–1740.
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Questions about saying humbug
How do you pronounce humbug?
Say HUHM-buhg. The American pronunciation is /ˈhəmˌbəɡ/. In British English it is /ˈhʌmbʌɡ/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in humbug?
Humbug has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (HUHM). Broken into parts: HUHM · buhg.
Do Americans and Brits say humbug the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /ˈhəmˌbəɡ/ and the British form is /ˈhʌmbʌɡ/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.