Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hum and haw

/ˌhʌm ənd ˈhɔː/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.98 in modern English

Syllables
hum and haw
IPA
/ˌhʌm ənd ˈhɔː/
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To procrastinate; to take a long time before doing something or taking a decision.

British usage

Example Sentences

Usage

Inflected Forms

hums and haws (present, singular) humming and hawing (participle, present) hummed and hawed (participle, past) hummed and hawed (past) hem and haw (alternative) hum and ha (alternative) um and ah (alternative) um and aw (alternative)

Questions

How do you pronounce hum and haw?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhʌm ənd ˈhɔː/.
What does hum and haw mean?
To procrastinate; to take a long time before doing something or taking a decision.

How to pronounce hum and haw

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