How to pronounce "hammurabi" in English
ˌhæm.ʊˈrɑː.bi
ham·uu·RAH·bee
Primary stress: RAH
Hear native speakers say hammurabi in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “hammurabi”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ham
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
uu
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
RAH
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
bee
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("RAH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "hammurabi" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“So if we look at the Code of Hammurabi, there's a stretch of laws numbering 195 to 208 something.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“We'll talk more about Hammurabi and his famous code of laws that seems to have influenced the Old Testament.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“One would even go back to the Hammurabi Code and say there was regulation of interest rates.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“The Babylonians built on this adoration— Hammurabi’s code mandated daily beer rations for every citizen.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“Hammurabi, back in 1950 B. C., something like that, I can't remember the exact date, decided it would be a good idea to write the law down”— StanfordWatch clip
“the law code Hammurabi tried to portray himself in two roles that should sound familiar: shepherd and father.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “hammurabi”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
So if we look at the Code of Hammurabi, there's a stretch of laws numbering 195 to 208 something.
Hear it in context: “hammurabi”
81 clipsThe English word “hammurabi” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌhæm.ʊˈrɑː.bi (phonetic respelling: ham-uu-RAH-bee). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (ham · uu · RAH · bee), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (RAH). Grammatically, “hammurabi” functions as a proper noun. SayItVid indexes 81 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “hammurabi” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from YaleCourses, Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #1 · @34:03
“not to mention slaves. So if we look at the Code of Hammurabi, there's a stretch of laws numbering 195 to 208 something. laws numbering 195 to 208 something.”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #2 · @5:35
“We'll talk more about the cuneiform writing. We'll talk more about Hammurabi and his famous code of laws that seems to have influenced the Old Testament. and his famous code of laws”
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #3 · @28:30
“well, I would say starting hundreds of years ago, really. One would even go back to the Hammurabi Code and say there was regulation of interest rates. and say there was regulation of interest rates.”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #4 · @2:45
“appears in a Sumerian poem dedicated to their goddess of beer, Ninkasi. The Babylonians built on this adoration— Hammurabi’s code mandated daily beer rations for every citizen. Hammurabi’s code mandated daily beer rations for every citizen.”
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #5 · @55:11
“There was a time when it wasn't, 4,000 years ago. Hammurabi, back in 1950 B. C., something like that, I can't remember the exact date, decided it would be a good idea to write the law down I can't remember the exact date,”
Definition & Meaning: “hammurabi”
- Hammurabi was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, best known for issuing the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest deciphered writings of significant length in the world.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Students of ancient history study the laws established by Hammurabi in ancient Mesopotamia.”
- “So if we look at the Code of Hammurabi, there's a stretch of laws numbering 195 to 208 something.”
- “We'll talk more about Hammurabi and his famous code of laws that seems to have influenced the Old Testament.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “hammurabi”
- Pronunciation:
- ham-uu-RAH-bee
- Syllables:
- ham · uu · RAH · bee
- Written Hyphenation:
- ham · mu · ra · bi
- Primary stress:
- RAH
- IPA:
- ˌhæm.ʊˈrɑː.bi
- Hear it in context
- hammurabi
Words that Rhyme with “hammurabi”
-ɑbiWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"hammurabi" (⁄ˌhæm.ʊˈrɑː.bi⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "hammurabi" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about hammurabi
How do you pronounce “hammurabi”?
“hammurabi” is pronounced ⁄ˌhæm.ʊˈrɑː.bi⁄ (ham-uu-RAH-bee). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “hammurabi”?
“hammurabi” has 4 syllables: ham · uu · RAH · bee.
Where is the stress in “hammurabi”?
The primary stress in “hammurabi” is on “RAH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “hammurabi” mean?
Hammurabi was the sixth king of the First Babylonian Dynasty, best known for issuing the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest deciphered writings of significant length in the world.
How can I hear “hammurabi” used in real sentences?
This page has 81 real-world video examples of “hammurabi” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “hammurabi”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).