Here’s Georgina to tell you about the differences between ‘whisper’, ‘murmur’ and ‘mumble’. Find out in our 60 second English lesson.
Georgina
I’m Georgina from BBC Learning English.
Do you ever wonder about the differences between whisper, murmur and mumble?
They are all used to describe different ways of speaking quietly.
Whisper means to speak quietly, often on purpose, so that only someone very close can hear what you’re saying!
I don’t want everyone to hear! I’ll have to whisper.
I’ve got a secret to tell you. I’ll have to whisper it though.
Murmur means to speak quietly, often in a low continuous voice, so it’s hard to understand.
‘I love you’, she murmured in her sleep!
Do you want to go for a coffee?
I can’t hear what you are saying, stop murmuring!
Mumble means to speak quietly, often in a low voice, making it difficult understand.
She’s always mumbling and complaining very quietly so I can’t hear! It drives me mad!
I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have eaten the last biscuit!
That was a really mumbled apology. I could hardly hear it!
Bye!
Whisper vs Murmur vs Mumble
Whisper
Whisper means to speak quietly, often on purpose, so that only someone very close can hear what you’re saying.
- She whispered into my ear.
- I couldn’t hear what the children were whispering about.
Murmur
Murmur means to speak quietly, often in a low continuous voice, so it’s hard to understand.
- He was murmuring continuously.
- She was murmuring about something.
Mumble
Mumble means to speak quietly, often in a low voice, making it difficult understand.
- I couldn’t understand what he was mumbling about.
- She was mumbling under her breath.
I’m intrigued by the idea that “whisper means to speak very quietly, so that only the person close to you can hear”. As someone who travels with family, I’ve often found myself whispering to my kids in quiet places like mosques or libraries, and it’s interesting to think about how this word choice affects our communication. In my experience, whispering can be particularly helpful when we’re in a new environment and don’t want to disturb others. The parallel between choosing the right words to convey quietness and the importance of precision in other areas, like scoring systems, is something I have been thinking about because it highlights the value of attention to detail in different contexts. I wonder, how do the nuances of language impact our daily interactions, and are there other words that convey subtleties of sound or volume that we should be aware of?