hum

/ˈhʌm/

//ˈhʌm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hum" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hum” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #13,172) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#13,172
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hum · hum · English

hum · rank #13,172 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,172
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH humility

Nearest frequency peer: humility (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “hum”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “hum” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hum vs hv
33% similar
hum vs hut
67% similar
hum vs hun
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hum
PropertyValue
Headwordhum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌm/
Letters3
Frequency rank#13,172
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hum” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).humlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “humility” (#13,173), “heap” (#13,170), “impeachment” (#13,174). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for hum is neighbouring look-alikes ("hv", "hut", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈhʌm/. Frequency #13,172 among 2,646 “H” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

hum doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "hv", "hut", "hun", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English hummen (“to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment”); akin to Dutch hommelen (“to bumble, buzz”), dialectal Dutch hommen (“to buzz, hum”), Middle High German hummen (“to hum”), probably ultimately of imitative or… The correct English form is hum, spelled H-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
  2. 2
    An often indistinct sound resembling human humming.
  3. 3
    Busy activity, like the buzz of a beehive.
  4. 4
    Unpleasant odour.
  5. 5
    An imposition or hoax; humbug.
  6. 6
    A kind of strong drink.
  7. 7
    A phenomenon, or collection of phenomena, involving widespread reports of a persistent and invasive low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hum appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. They could hear a hum coming from the kitchen, and found the dishwasher on.
  2. the shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums

Etymology

From Middle English hummen (“to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment”); akin to Dutch hommelen (“to bumble, buzz”), dialectal Dutch hommen (“to buzz, hum”), Middle High German hummen (“to hum”), probably ultimately of imitative origin.

This word in other languages

tarareo(Español)Summen(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hum"?
"hum" is spelled H-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌm/.
What does "hum" mean?
As a noun, "hum" means: A hummed tune, i.e. created orally with lips closed.
What words are commonly confused with "hum"?
"hum" is commonly confused with "hv", "hut", "hun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hum" is /ˈhʌm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hum"?
From Middle English hummen (“to hum, buzz, drone, make a murmuring sound to cover embarrassment”); akin to Dutch hommelen (“to bumble, buzz”), dialectal Dutch hommen (“to buzz, hum”), Middle High German hummen (“to hum”), probably ultimately of im... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

GTA#13,166ISA#13,178FLA#13,151MMA#13,197

What to do next

You've looked up "hum". Here's where to go from here.

  • "hum" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "hv". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #13,172 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "H" letter cohort. H–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list