mum
/mʌm/noun, adjective, interjection, verb
mum is spelled M-U-M: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,558th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mum means “mother” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mum is mums or 'mums.
How many letters and syllables are in mum?
| Letters | 3: M-U-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,558th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 mum?
Mum appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,558th 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 mum?
- /mʌm/
- /mʊm/
Mum 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-mum.ogg, En-au-mum.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mum
Also written: ma'am.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with mum?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as mum.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: umm.
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 mum
- mums plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mam
- mom
- 'mum
- mumming participle, present
- mummed participle, past
- 'mums plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mum mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
AustraliaCanadaIndiaIrelandUKinformalmother
“Mum! Mum!” he shouted out. The laughter stopped. Two bright, sparkling yellow eyes peeped from the hollow. Atop her head were the fluffy ear tufts that his mum was so proud of because they were fuller and lovelier than those of most Great
- 2
USA chrysanthemum.
- 3
USA decoration traditionally made of chrysanthemums and ribbons, worn by girls at high school homecoming celebrations, marked with indicators such as the wearer's name, school, the year, and so on.
- 4
A type of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany.
- 5
obsoleteSilence.
- 6
datedinformalAlternative spelling of ma'am.
adjective
- 1
archaiccolloquialSilent.
- 2
colloquialSecret.
interjection
- 1
stop speaking!, stop talking!, hush!
verb
- 1
To act in a pantomime or dumb show.
- 2
UKobsoleteslangTo silence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mum in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense mother (informal, familiar):
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 mum come from?
Alternative form of mam, or an abbreviation of mummy. Compare mom, mama.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).