bummer
/ˈbʌ.mɚ/noun, interjection, adjective
bummer is spelled B-U-M-M-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, bummer means “An idle, worthless fellow, without any visible means of support; a dissipated sponger” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of bummer is bummers.
How many letters and syllables are in bummer?
| Letters | 6: B-U-M-M-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,362nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is bummer?
Bummer appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,362nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce bummer?
- /ˈbʌ.mɚ/
Bummer has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-bummer.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of bummer
- bummers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does bummer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA forager, especially in Sherman's March to the Sea of November to December 1864.
- 2
USdatedslangAn idle, worthless fellow, without any visible means of support; a dissipated sponger.
- 3
A lamb (typically the smallest of a multiple birth) which has been abandoned by its mother or orphaned, and as a consequence is raised in part or in whole by humans.
- 4
colloquialA disappointment, a pity, a shame.
That's a total bummer.
- 5
datedslangA psychedelic crisis; hallucinogenic drug use producing undesirable dysphoric psychological effects, most often fear, paranoia, and especially horrifying hallucinations; a bad trip.
- 6
UKderogatoryoffensiveslangA gay man.
You know, the kind of guy who would, if he wasn't gay, probably be shouting ‘Oi, gay boy!’ or ‘You bummer!’ or even ‘Oi, paki!’ or what have you. They're not enlightened.
interjection
- 1
colloquialExclamation of annoyance or frustration at a bummer (disappointment).
adjective
- 1
comparative form of bum: more bum
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Bummer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a disappointment, a pity, a shame:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | déception, flop |
| German | Reinfall, Frusterlebnis, Enttäuschung, Flop |
| Spanish | chasco, quemón, frentazo, batacazo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does bummer come from?
Borrowed from German Bummler (“a drifter, a stroller, a rambler, a loiterer, a laggard”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).