Pronunciation

How to pronounce “succumb

“succumb” is pronounced /səˈkʌm/ (suh-KUM) in American English and /səkʌm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cumb”.
The sound

Say “succumb” in 2 beats

Say it like this

succumb

/səˈkʌm/

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

2 beats
  1. suc
  2. cumbkʌmstress
IPA (American)
/səˈkʌm/
IPA (British)
/səkʌm/
Respelling
suh-KUM
Syllables
2 — suc-CUMB
Stress
Stress the second syllable: suc-CUMB. “cumb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
verb
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/səˈkʌm/

British

/səkʌm/

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

Meaning

What “succumb” means

  1. verb

    consent reluctantly

  2. verb

    be fatally overwhelmed

Say it in a sentence

The old apple tree finally succumbed to disease last winter.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 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

succumb”, answered

How do you pronounce “succumb”?

“succumb” is pronounced /səˈkʌm/ (suh-KUM) in American English and /səkʌm/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “cumb”. Build it as suc-CUMB, then run the second syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “succumb” have?

2: suc · cumb. The beat lands on the second, “cumb”.

Is “succumb” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /səˈkʌm/ (suh-KUM); British English says /səkʌm/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “succumb” mean?

As a verb: consent reluctantly For example: “The old apple tree finally succumbed to disease last winter.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “succumb”?

Stress the second syllable: suc-CUMB. “cumb” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “succumb” 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.