Pronunciation

How to pronounce “dumb

“dumb” is pronounced /dʌm/ (DUM) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “dumb” in one beat

Say it like this

dumb

/dʌm/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. dumbdʌm
IPA (American)
/dʌm/
IPA (British)
/dʌm/
Respelling
DUM
Syllables
1 — dumb
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dʌm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “dumb” means

  1. adjective

    slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; ; ; - Thackeray

    so dense he never understands anything I say to him

  2. adjective

    temporarily incapable of speaking

    struck dumb

  3. adjective

    lacking the power of human speech

    dumb animals

Say it in a sentence

The shock left him dumb for almost a full minute.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

dumb”, answered

How do you pronounce “dumb”?

“dumb” is pronounced /dʌm/ (DUM) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /dʌm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “dumb” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /dʌm/ — a single beat.

What does “dumb” mean?

As an adjective: slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity; ; ; - Thackeray For example: “so dense he never understands anything I say to him” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “dumb”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /dʌm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “dumb” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.