How to pronounce whom
Say it like HOOM. Whom 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 whom. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HOOM
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Whom pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HOOMSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "oo" in food.
American vs British pronunciation of whom
American and British speakers say whom in essentially the same way: /hum/ in the US and /huːm/ in the UK.
British respelling: HOOM.
What does whom mean?
- As the object of a verb.“Whom did you ask?”
- As the object of a preposition.“To whom are you referring?”
- Used to refer to a previously mentioned person or people.“That is the woman whom I spoke to earlier. (defining)”
Where does whom come from?
From Middle English whom, wham, from Old English hwām, hwǣm, from Proto-Germanic *hwammai, dative case of *hwaz (“who, what”).
Words that rhyme with whom
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of whom.
Questions about saying whom
How do you pronounce whom?
Say HOOM. The American pronunciation is /hum/. In British English it is /huːm/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in whom?
Whom is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HOOM.
Do Americans and Brits say whom the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hum/ and the British form is /huːm/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.