hmm
/hm̩/interjection, verb
hmm is spelled H-M-M: 3 letters. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, hmm means “Indicates thinking or pondering” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hmm?
| Letters | 3: H-M-M |
|---|---|
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is hmm?
Hmm appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th 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 hmm?
- US /hm̩/
- US [m̥m̩˦˨]
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hmm.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with hmm?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as hmm.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mhm.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of hmm
- hm
- hum
- hmmm
- h'm
- hmms present, singular, he/she/it
- hmming participle, present
- hmmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hmm mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
Indicates thinking or pondering.
Hmm... that's an interesting idea.
- 2
Indicates surprise or cluelessness; especially a response by a person who is questioned or addressed when not expecting it.
"You there! Where are you going?" "Hmm? Oh, I just need to get a drink."
- 3
A demand for an answer to a question.
Just where were you until 2 a.m.? Hmm?
verb
- 1
To make a thoughtful humming noise.
noun
- 1
Initialism of hidden Markov model.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hmm in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense indicating thinking or pondering:
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 hmm come from?
See hum.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).