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PlainSpell

rumor

/ˈɹumɚ/noun, verb

rumor is spelled R-U-M-O-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rumor means “A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rumor is rumors.

How many letters and syllables are in rumor?

Letters5: R-U-M-O-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing5.4 times per million words; the 10,680th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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 rumor?

Rumor appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th 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 rumor?

  • UK /ˈɹuːmə/
  • British /ˈɹʉwmə/
  • US /ˈɹumɚ/

Rumor 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-rumor.wav, En-au-rumour.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with rumor?

6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as rumor from its last stressed vowel (/uməɹ/):

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 rumor

  • rumors plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • rumour
  • rumoring participle, present
  • rumored participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does rumor mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    USA statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth.

    There's a rumor going round that he's going to get married.

  2. 2

    USInformation or misinformation of the kind contained in such claims.

    They say he used to be a thief, but that's just rumor.

  3. 3

    USarchaicReport, news, information in general.

  4. 4

    USobsoleteFame, reputation.

  5. 5

    USobsoleteClamor, din, outcry.

verb

  1. 1

    USTo tell a rumor about; to gossip.

    John is rumored to be next in line for a promotion.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Rumor in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchrumeur, bruit (statement or claim from no known reliable source)
GermanGerücht (statement or claim from no known reliable source), Gerüchte, Gerede (uncountable: information)
Portugueserumor, boato (statement or claim from no known reliable source)
Spanishrumor, voz (statement or claim from no known reliable source), rumorología, habladurías (uncountable: information), rumorear (Translations)

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 rumor come from?

From Middle English rumour, from Old French rumeur, from Latin rūmor (“common talk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃rewH- (“to shout, to roar”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after rumor