Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hummingbird

/ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.96 in modern English

Syllables: hum-ming-bird
IPA: /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/

22

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae that have the ability to hover.

Example Sentences

"Soon I hear the low all-pervading hum of an approaching hummingbird circling above the rock, …"
"Beyond the veranda was a small cleared garden, bounded with cactus hedges and adorned with clumps of flowering shrubs, round which the great blue butterflies and the tiny humming-birds fluttered and darted in crescents of sparkling light."

Etymology

From humming (noun) + bird, in reference to the humming sound made by the rapidly moving wings.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/
British English: /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜːd/

Inflected Forms

hummingbirds (plural) humming bird (alternative) humming-bird (alternative)

Derived Forms

hummingbirdlike

Phrases

Allen's hummingbird Anna's hummingbird bee hummingbird Costa hummingbird Costa's hummingbird garnet-throated hummingbird hummingbird hawkmoth hummingbird moth

Frequently Paired Words

trochilidine bee brilliant emerald hermit mango snowcap topaz

Synonyms

hummer hummingbird

Questions

How do you pronounce hummingbird?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/.
What does hummingbird mean?: Any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae that have the ability to hover.
Where does hummingbird come from?: From humming (noun) + bird, in reference to the humming sound made by the rapidly moving wings.

How to pronounce hummingbird

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