Pronunciation

How to pronounce “numb”

“numb” is pronounced /nʌm/ (NUM) — one syllable.

The sound

Say “numb” in one beat

Say it like this

numb

/nʌm/

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

1 beat

IPA (American): /nʌm/
IPA (British): /nʌm/
Respelling: NUM
Syllables: 1 — numb
Stress: One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /nʌm/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech: verb, adjective
Difficulty: Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips

Meaning

verb
make numb or insensitive
“The shock numbed her senses”
adjective
lacking sensation
“my foot is asleep”
adjective
(followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive
“passersby were dead to our plea for help”

Say it in a sentence

“My fingers went numb waiting at the bus stop in January.”

Sound by sound

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

How do you pronounce “numb”?

“numb” is pronounced /nʌm/ (NUM) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /nʌm/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “numb” have?

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

What does “numb” mean?

As a verb: make numb or insensitive For example: “The shock numbed her senses” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “numb”?

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

Practise this word

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.