erm

/ɜːm/ (bre, ipa) · /ɜːrm/ (ame, ipa)

erm — 感嘆詞

1. a spoken filler sound produced when a speaker hesitates or thinks briefly before

1.感嘆詞B1
釋義

呃

說話猶豫時發出的聲音

a spoken filler sound produced when a speaker hesitates or thinks briefly before continuing their sentence — commonly used in British English in the same way that 'um' is used in American English.

例句

Erm, I'm not sure that's the right platform for the London train.

呃，我不太確定那是去倫敦的火車月臺。

opening hesitation marker at turn start

Erm, I meant we should wait for Vikram to arrive before starting.

呃，我是想說我們應該等 Vikram 到了再開始。

erm opens the utterance, then repeats core idea

同義詞
  • um

    Standard American English equivalent; also used in British English, especially by younger speakers

  • er

    Older or shorter British hesitation sound; often written in dialogue to suggest an awkward pause

  • uh

    American English variant that suggests a shorter, lighter pause than 'um'

文法句型

used alone as a hesitation marker

followed by a pause, then the speaker's next utterance

用法筆記

Only used in spoken English or in written dialogue that imitates speech. Never used in formal writing. 'Erm' is the standard British English form; the equivalent in American English is 'um'. The 'r' in 'erm' is not pronounced as a separate consonant — it colours the vowel, producing a longer, more drawn-out sound than plain 'um'.