humph
/h(ʌ)mf/interjection, verb
humph is spelled H-U-M-P-H: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Humph, the name). As an interjection, humph means “A sound, usually made with a closed mouth pouting, indicating annoyance, indignation, disapproval, doubt, or sighing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in humph?
| Letters | 5: H-U-M-P-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th 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 humph?
Humph appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Humph, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce humph?
- /h(ʌ)mf/
- [həɱf]
- [hɱ̩f]
Humph has one syllable (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-humpf.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of humph
- hmph
- hmpf
- humf
- humphs present, singular, he/she/it
- humphing participle, present
- humphed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does humph mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
interjection
- 1
A sound, usually made with a closed mouth pouting, indicating annoyance, indignation, disapproval, doubt, or sighing.
verb
- 1
To utter "humph!" in doubt or disapproval.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Humph in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense used to express doubt or disapproval:
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 humph come from?
A natural utterance, first recorded in the mid-16th century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).