tararear
/taɾaɾeˈaɾ/
To hum in Spanish is tararear. Wiktionary also lists cantusear.
Meaning: to make sound with lips closed (verb)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| tararear | /taɾaɾeˈaɾ/ |
| cantusear | /kantuseaɾ/ (from spelling rules) |
The verb is used when someone makes a sound with their lips closed.
Which one should you use?
tararear is the standard verb used for humming a melody or singing without lyrics. In contrast, cantusear is a more colloquial or regional term that often implies humming or singing a tune in a casual, repetitive or somewhat aimless manner.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
If you wish to refer to the act of humming as a noun, use tarareo.
How do you pronounce it?
/taɾaɾeˈaɾ/
Did you know?
- While tararear is used for melodies, Spanish uses the verb zumbar to describe the humming sound of a bee or a mechanical drone.
- The verb tararear is actually built upon a nonsense word, 'tarara', which mimics the rhythmic sound of humming itself.
- Spanish has no single verb that covers both the musical 'humming' of a song and the 'humming' of agreement used in English conversation.
Examples in context
- Por favor, eviten tararear durante la conferenciaPlease refrain from humming during the conference
- Durante la presentación, el profesor pidió a los estudiantes que evitaran tararear para mantener el enfoque en el temaDuring the presentation, the professor asked the students to refrain from humming to maintain focus on the topic
- Ella suele tararear una melodía suave.She usually hums a soft melody.
- No dejes de tararear esa canción.Don't stop humming that song.
- Él empezó a tararear mientras trabajaba.He started to hum while he was working.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hum” translations and entries tararear, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tararear, CC BY-SA 4.0.
