How to pronounce “humor”
Humor is pronounced /ˈhjuːmər/. It has 2 syllables, and the beat falls on the first one — hjuː. Below: the syllable split, native audio in both accents, the mistake people actually make with this word, and every individual sound in it explained.
Syllables and stress
Split it into 2 beats. The highlighted syllable is the strong one: say it louder, longer and a touch higher in pitch, and let the others fall away. English is a stress-timed language, so getting hjuː in the right place matters more to a listener than getting every vowel perfect.
Stress pattern Oo — capital letters mark the stressed beats.
“humor” sound by sound
“humor” is built out of 5 sounds. Say each one on its own first, slowly, then run them together at speed. Every sound links to a full guide with mouth position, the mistake learners make with it, and other words that use it.
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hSimply breathe out through an open, relaxed mouth already shaped for the following vowel — there is no tongue or lip contact at all.
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jRaise the front of the tongue high toward the hard palate as if starting /iː/, then glide straight into the following vowel.
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uːPush the tongue high and back and round the lips into a tight, forward circle; hold it tense and long.
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mClose the lips, lower the soft palate and let the voiced air come out through the nose.
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ərThe same r-coloured tongue shape as /ɜːr/ but weak, short and unstressed — the ending of "teacher", "doctor", "sugar".
Words that rhyme with “humor”
Same ending sound from the stressed vowel on — a good way to hear whether you have the vowel right:
Questions people ask about “humor”
- How do you pronounce “humor”?
- “humor” is pronounced /ˈhjuːmər/, with the stress on the first syllable (hjuː). Press the US or UK button above to hear it spoken.
- How many syllables are in “humor”?
- “humor” has 2 syllables: hjuː · mər. The stress pattern is Oo.
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