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Glite Dictionary
🤔 Hesitation sound 🤔 A pause sound
umm

umm

96 8.8
A short sound people make when they pause to think
  • interjection
  • /ʌm/
  • Informal
translation icon : eh
  • I think it's, it's a kind of a, a way of, umm, connecting with the world.

One of them is, umm, what's the story?

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Examples

  • Make the media know we are more... umm... we are paying attention now.

    Blog text (13)

  • Umm... there is someone who, I think, can help us.

    The Rock (1996)

  • I think that basically, umm, it's one or the other.

  • So umm, yeah, you can see them.

  • What if you sense that a girl has more umm... status than you?

    Blog text (7)

  • The issue I struggle with is... umm how to write this so it makes sense!

    Blog text (4)

  • Then the man said, "Umm, I'm having a little trouble, and I was wondering..."

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Well, I, I think the first thing, umm, is just that it's surreal.

  • I wasn't going to say anything, but umm...

    CHEST (2022)

  • Umm, umm, I'm not sure what to say right now.

Synonyms

uh
vsumm
  • Informal
∞ 7.3

A short sound people make when they hesitate while speaking

is a slightly more voiced pause used when thinking longer
um
vsumm
  • Informal
∞ 4.1

A short sound people say when they pause to think

is the same hesitation sound but spelled with an extra letter
hmm
vsumm
  • Informal
∞ 8.7

A sound people make when they hesitate and think

is a clearer pause sound used to stop speech briefly
ah
vsumm
  • Informal
744 2.4

A short sound people make when they hesitate or think

is a neutral hesitation sound rather than an interjectional doubt sound
mmm
vsumm
  • Informal
384 9.5

A sound people make when they think or hesitate

is a plain spoken pause rather than a voiced humming of thought
erm
vsumm
  • UK
65 9.9

A short sound people make when they hesitate while speaking

is a casual pause sound rather than a formal hesitation marker
uhh
vsumm
  • Informal
41 9.5

A sound people use when they hesitate or are unsure

is a steadier hesitation sound rather than a breathy uncertainty marker
uhm
vsumm
  • Informal
35 9.8

A short sound people make when they pause to think

is the same brief hesitation but differs in spelling form
uhhh
vsumm
  • Informal
17 9.9

A sound people make when they hesitate while speaking

is a shorter pause sound rather than a long drawn-out one
buh
vsumm
  • Informal
8 9.9

A short unsure sound you make when you search for words

is a general pause sound rather than a brief stumbling noise
uuh
vsumm
  • Informal
6 9.9

A sound someone makes when they hesitate or need time to think

is a shorter hesitation used for quick pauses
ehm
vsumm
  • Informal
5 8.7

A short sound people make when they pause to think while speaking

is the general pause sound used without stressing word search
uhhhh
vsumm
  • Informal
3 9.9

A sound people make when they hesitate or think

is used for a short pause rather than a long stretched one
ohhhh
vsumm
  • Informal
2 9.8

A long sound people make when thinking before they speak

is a quiet pause used mainly to hesitate while speaking
errr
vsumm
  • Informal
1 9.5

A short sound people make when they are not sure

is a simpler hesitation used mainly to pause while thinking
ehhh
vsumm
  • Informal
1 9.9

A hesitation sound people make when they think or search for words

is a basic pause for thinking rather than an uncertain question sound
mhm
vsumm
  • Informal
1 9.9

A low sound people make while thinking or hesitating

is a plain pause used simply to buy thinking time
mmmmm
vsumm
  • Informal
1 9.9

A low sound showing thought or hesitation before answering

is a short verbal pause rather than an extended hum of thought

How Hesitant

erm
  • UK
65 9.9
umm
  • Informal
96 8.8
uh
  • Informal
∞ 7.3

Surface Forms

umm main

Etymology

Umm is a short 'thinking' sound people make when they pause, much like uh or hmm. A helpful way to remember it is that it shows 'hesitation' or a quick pause while you think.