How to pronounce room
Say it like ROOM. Room 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 room. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- ROOM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Room pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- ROOMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of room
American and British speakers say room in essentially the same way: /rum/ in the US and /ruːm/ in the UK.
British respelling: ROOM.
What does room mean?
- an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling“the rooms were very small but they had a nice view”
- space for movement“room to pass”“make way for”
- opportunity for“room for improvement”
- live and take one's meals at or in“she rooms in an old boarding house”
Where does room come from?
The word superficially appears to be an exception to the Great Vowel Shift, which might have produced the pronunciation /ɹaʊm/, but the retention of Middle English /uː/ before /m/ is regular.
Words that rhyme with room
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of room.
Questions about saying room
How do you pronounce room?
Say ROOM. The American pronunciation is /rum/. In British English it is /ruːm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in room?
Room is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: ROOM.
Do Americans and Brits say room the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /rum/ and the British form is /ruːm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.