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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “human”

“human” is pronounced /ˈhjumən/ (HYOO-muhn) in American English and /hjuːmən/ in British English, and /ˈjumən/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “hum”.
The sound

Say “human” in 2 beats

Say it like this

human

/ˈhjumən/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /hjuːmən/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. humhjustress
  2. anmən
IPA (American)
/ˈhjumən/
IPA (British)
/hjuːmən/
Also accepted
/ˈjumən/
Respelling
HYOO-muhn
Syllables
2 — HUM-an
Stress
Stress the first syllable: HUM-an. “hum” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈhjumən/

British

/hjuːmən/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “human” means

  1. noun

    any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage

  2. adjective

    characteristic of humanity

    “human nature”

  3. adjective

    relating to a person

    “the experiment was conducted on 6 monkeys and 2 human subjects”

Say it in a sentence

“The documentary explores the limits of human endurance.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

6 sounds, in the order you say them
hhjyulong oomməschwann

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

Questions

“human”, answered

How do you pronounce “human”?

“human” is pronounced /ˈhjumən/ (HYOO-muhn) in American English and /hjuːmən/ in British English, and /ˈjumən/ is also accepted — 2 syllables, stressed on “hum”. Build it as HUM-an, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “human” have?

2: hum · an. The beat lands on the first, “hum”.

Is “human” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈhjumən/ (HYOO-muhn); British English says /hjuːmən/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “human” mean?

As a noun: any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage For example: “The documentary explores the limits of human endurance.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “human”?

Stress the first syllable: HUM-an. “hum” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

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