stammer
/ˈstæmɚ/verb, noun
stammer is spelled S-T-A-M-M-E-R: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, stammer means “To keep repeating a particular sound involuntarily during speech” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stammer?
| Letters | 7: S-T-A-M-M-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 53,573rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none 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 stammer?
Stammer appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 53,573rd 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 stammer?
- UK /ˈstæmə/
- US /ˈstæmɚ/
Stammer 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-stammer.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with stammer?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as stammer from its last stressed vowel (/æməɹ/):
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 stammer
- stammers present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- stammering participle, present
- stammered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stammer mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To keep repeating a particular sound involuntarily during speech.
- 2
To utter with a stammer, or with timid hesitancy.
He blushed, and stammered a few words of apology.
noun
- 1
The involuntary repetition of a sound in speech.
She said goodbye in a stammer.
- 2
A speech defect whereby someone speaks with a stammer
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stammer in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | balbutier, bégayer , bégaiement |
| German | stammeln, stottern , Stottern |
| Portuguese | gaguejar , gaguejo |
| Spanish | balbucear, balbucir, cancanear, gaguear, tartajear, tartalear |
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 stammer come from?
From Middle English stameren, from Old English stamerian, from Proto-West Germanic *stamrōn, from Proto-Germanic *stamrōną (“to stammer”). Compare German stammeln, Dutch stameren, Old Norse stammr. Doublet of stumble.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).