How to pronounce yellowhammer
Say it like YEL-oh-ham-er. Yellowhammer has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (YEL).
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce yellowhammer. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- YEL
- oh
- ham
- er
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Yellowhammer pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- YELSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "e" in bed.
- ohKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "o" in go.
- hamGive this part a little weight. The vowel is the "a" in cat.
- erKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "er" in butter.
American vs British pronunciation of yellowhammer
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: YEL-oh-ham-uh.
What does yellowhammer mean?
- A passerine bird, Emberiza citrinella, of western Eurasia, which is mainly yellow in color.
- The northern flicker, Colaptes auratus, a woodpecker with yellow underwings and undertail and often other yellowish underparts; one of its ways of feeding is to hammer on trees to find insects (adults and larvae) to eat.
- A native or resident of the American state of Alabama.
Where does yellowhammer come from?
An alteration (influenced by hammer) of the earlier yelambre, yelamber, from Middle English *yelwambre, from yelwe (“yellow”) + *ambre (“yellowhammer”), from Old English amore, related to Old High German amaro (“yellowhammer”) (see modern German Ammer).
Questions about saying yellowhammer
How do you pronounce yellowhammer?
Say YEL-oh-ham-er. The American pronunciation is /ˈjɛloʊˌhæmɚ/. In British English it is /ˈjɛləʊˌhæmə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in yellowhammer?
Yellowhammer has four syllables, and the main stress falls on the first one (YEL). Broken into parts: YEL · oh · ham · er.
Is yellowhammer pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /ˈjɛləʊˌhæmə/ (YEL-oh-ham-uh).