hummingbird
/ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/noun
hummingbird is spelled H-U-M-M-I-N-G-B-I-R-D: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hummingbird means “Any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae that have the ability to hover” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of hummingbird is hummingbirds.
How many letters and syllables are in hummingbird?
| Letters | 11: H-U-M-M-I-N-G-B-I-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th 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 hummingbird?
Hummingbird appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th 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 hummingbird?
- US /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜɹd/
- UK /ˈhʌmɪŋˌbɜːd/
- /ˈhʌmɪnˌbɜːd/
Hummingbird has 3 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-hummingbird.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with hummingbird
Also written: humming-bird (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of hummingbird
- hummingbirds plural
- humming bird
- humming-bird
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hummingbird mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae that have the ability to hover.
Soon I hear the low all-pervading hum of an approaching hummingbird circling above the rock, …
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hummingbird in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense any of various small American birds in the family Trochilidae:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | colibri, oiseau-mouche, oiseau de fleurs, suce-fleur |
| German | Kolibri, Schwirrvogel |
| Portuguese | beija-flor, colibri |
| Spanish | colibrí, chupaflor, chuparrosa, gorrión, picaflor, quinde |
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 hummingbird come from?
From humming (noun) + bird, in reference to the humming sound made by the rapidly moving wings.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).