How To Pronounce Humour

humour

Phonemic

/ˈhjuː.mə/

Phonetic

[ˈhjʷuː.məʴ]

Phonemic

/ˈhjuː.mɚ/

In British English, humour is pronounced /ˈhjuː.mə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈhjʷuː.məʴ]. In American English, it is pronounced /ˈhjuː.mɚ/.

Humour has two syllables, and the main stress falls on the first syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

hjuːmə

Humour has two syllables in British English, and the main stress is on the first syllable, shown in colour above. Its stress pattern is Oo, where O is the stressed syllable.

humour + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈhjuː.məz/

/ˈhjuː.mɚz/

humour + -ed

-ed (past tense or past participle) is /d/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/ˈhjuː.məd/

/ˈhjuː.mɚd/

humour + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/. In UK English a linking /r/ is added because the spelling ends in -r.

/ˈhjuː.mə.rɪŋ/

/ˈhjuː.mɚ.ɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Humour

Questions About Humour

How do you pronounce humour in British English?

In British English, humour is pronounced /ˈhjuː.mə/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [ˈhjʷuː.məʴ].

How do you pronounce humour in American English?

In American English, humour is pronounced /ˈhjuː.mɚ/.

How many syllables are in humour?

Humour has two syllables, /hjuː/ + /mə/.

Where is the stress in humour?

The main stress is on the first syllable, /hjuː/.

Do British and American English pronounce humour the same way?

No. British English has /ˈhjuː.mə/ and American English has /ˈhjuː.mɚ/.

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Other Words With The Stress Pattern Oo

Nearby Words

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