mumble
/ˈmʌmbəl/verb, noun
mumble is spelled M-U-M-B-L-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, mumble means “To speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mumble?
| Letters | 6: M-U-M-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd 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 mumble?
Mumble appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 mumble?
- /ˈmʌmbəl/
- /ˈmʊmbəl/
Mumble has 2 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-mumble.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mumble
- mumbles present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- mumbling participle, present
- mumbled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mumble mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate.
Please try not to mumble so I can hear you better.
- 2
To chew something gently with closed lips.
noun
- 1
A quiet or unintelligible vocalization; a low tone of voice.
All I could hear was a mumble from the next room.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mumble in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | marmonner |
| German | murmeln, nuscheln , mümmeln , Murmeln |
| Portuguese | murmurar |
| Spanish | mascullar, mascujar, mamullar, balbucear, balbucir , mascujada |
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 mumble come from?
From Middle English momelen, a frequentative of mum (sense 3) (“silent”). Compare German mümmeln, Middle Dutch mommelen and Dutch mompelen. Perhaps related to Norwegian Nynorsk mumpa (“to gum, to chew without teeth”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).