Pronunciation: [mˈɜːmə] (IPA) 
The word "murmur" is spelled with six letters and two syllables. In IPA phonetic transcription, it is represented as /ˈmɜːmər/. The "m" sound is followed by the "er" sound, which is pronounced as /ər/. The "u" in the word is pronounced as /ɜː/, which is similar to the sound in the word "bird". The word also contains the "r" sound, which is pronounced as /r/. The spelling of the word "murmur" accurately reflects its pronunciation.
Murmur is a verb that typically refers to a soft and low sound or utterance. It can also function as a noun to describe the act or sound of murmuring. As a verb, murmuring often includes soft and indistinct spoken words, whispers, or gentle vocalizations that may be difficult to understand or decipher. Murmuring can be a way of speaking quietly or privately, usually in a hushed or confidential manner. It is commonly associated with the notion of speaking low enough to not be overheard or to maintain a sense of secrecy or discretion.
As a noun, murmurs are soft, low sounds produced by voices or other sources. These sounds are faint and gentle, typically characterized by their lack of clarity or distinctness. Murmurs can also denote a continuous or ongoing background noise, such as the murmuring of a river or the hum of a crowd. In medical contexts, a murmur is an abnormal additional sound heard during a heartbeat, usually caused by turbulent blood flow through the heart's chambers or valves.
In summary, murmuring refers to soft, low sounds or utterances, while murmurs describe the act of producing such sounds, or the sounds themselves.
Susurrus; a soft sound, like that made by a somewhat forcible expiration with the mouth open, heard on auscultation of the heart, lungs, or blood-vessels.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
• A low continually-repeated sound or sounds; a complaint uttered in a low suppressed tone.
• To give forth or utter low suppressed sounds; to complain.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "murmur" originated from the Middle English term "murmure", which was derived from the Old French word "murmure" meaning "sound of a murmur" or "a murmur". This Old French term was in turn derived from the Latin word "murmurare", which meant "to mutter" or "to murmur". The Latin word was a combination of "murmur" (noun), representing the sound of murmuring, and "-are", a verb suffix denoting action. The word ultimately finds its roots in the Proto-Indo-European root word "mormor", imitating the sound of a murmur.
