Um or umm?
um is an interjection meaning “Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation”; umm is an interjection meaning “Alternative form of um”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) um is about 3.6 times as common as umm.
What is the difference between um and umm?
| um | umm | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | interjection, verb, noun, particle, suffix, prefix, pronoun | interjection, verb, noun |
| Meaning | Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation USDated spelling of mmm To make the um sound to express uncertainty or hesitancy | Alternative form of um Alternative form of um (“to make the umm sound to express confusion or hesitancy”) |
| Example | Um, I don’t know | - How does a plane fly? |
| Forms | ums, umming, ummed, ahm, ehm, em | umms, umming, ummed, UMMs |
| Pronunciation | /ʌm/ /əm/ | not recorded |
| In writing | 13 times per million words | 3.7 times per million words |
Sources: um and umm in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of um and umm
um
- 1
Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation
Um, I don’t know
- 2
To make the um sound to express uncertainty or hesitancy
- 3
An occurrence of the interjection "um"
- 4
datedoffensiveAn undifferentiated determiner or article; a miscellaneous linking word, or filler with nonspecific meaning; representation of broken English stereotypically or comically attributed to Native…
Me be Injun. Him um Growling Bear. Him um heap big chief
- 5
Denotes singular grammatical number
- 6
Denotes transitive verbs in the trade pidgins used between English-speakers and indigenous populations; used derogatorily by extension in English by addition to any verb, transitive or not
- 7
Initialism of unmounted mint
- 8
Alternative form of 'em
umm
- 1
Alternative form of um
- How does a plane fly?
- 2
Alternative form of um (“to make the umm sound to express confusion or hesitancy”)
- 3
Initialism of universal measuring machine
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, um or umm?
um appears 13 times per million words; umm 3.7 times per million words.
um 13 times per million wordsumm 3.7 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).