how come

Questions

How do you pronounce how come?

The recorded pronunciation is /haʊ kʌm/.

What does how come mean?

Why; why is it; for what reason or purpose; due to what cause?

Where does how come come from?

Earliest use in its modern form can also be found in The Trial of Titus Oates, referring to a trial that took place in 1685: :* 1730, F. Hargrave, A Complete Collection of State-Trials and Proceedings for High-Treason, and Other Crimes and Misdemeanours; from the Reign of King Richard II. to the End of the Reign of King George I, volume 4: Mrs. A. Ireland It was on Saturday Morning, as I remember, the 3rd of August, the Saturday after St. Ignatius's Day. L. C. J. How come you remember so particularly, that it was then? In this text, it also co-occurs with forms such as "How come she to lie there?" and "How come you to remember those Days of the Month?". Compare West Frisian hoe kom (“how come”), Dutch hoe komt het (“how comes it; why”), Afrikaans hoekom (“how come; why”). According to Partridge's slang dictionary: US English, 1848, probably from older forms such as "How comes it that... ?" or "How does it come that... ?" and "How did it come to be like this?"

How to pronounce how come

1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “how come”.
2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/haʊ kʌm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “how come”.
4. Repeat and practice — Say “how come” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.