M (letter): Difference between revisions

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The prefixes '''in'''- and '''con'''- become '''im'''- and '''com'''- before '''p''': '''impâtient, impàrtial, impráctical, complête, compônent, cómposíte, compôse'''.
The prefixes '''in'''- and '''con'''- become '''im'''- and '''com'''- before '''p''': '''impâtient, impàrtial, impráctical, complête, compônent, cómposíte, compôse'''.


Silent '''m''': '''mnemónic''' (*nemónic) (cf. silent '''n''' in '''åutumn''').
Silent '''m''' occurs in '''mnemónic''' *nemónic, cf. silent '''n''' in '''åutumn'''.


The double '''m''' following the double '''c''' in '''accommodátion''' (cf. '''commódity''') is notorious.
The double '''m''' following the double '''c''' in '''accommodátion''' (cf. '''commódity''') is notorious.

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M, m is a letter of the Latin alphabet. It is the thirteenth letter of most variants, being placed after L and before N, as is the case for instance in the English alphabet. Its English name is pronounced [ˈem], em, as in em dash (—).

M is also the Roman numeral representing the number 1000.

Use in English

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list  
Common misspellings  

m is a hum, pronounced with the lips and voice, the first sound an infant produces: mmmm! Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English spellings): múmmy, mòther, míx, mâke, mòuse rat, moûsse dessert = moôse elk.

It is only doubled in the middle of words, to keep the preceding vowel short: súmmer, slímmer, slímmed, slímming (cf. slím), dilémma, dúmmy, múmmy, lémming, accómmodate.

It begins consonant clusters: émber, ámbling, ámbry, amnêsty, émpty, Húmphrey, ámple, impréss.

And it likes to add a silent b at the end of some words: thúmb, lámb, cômb, númb, dúmb, tomb (*toôm). But not usually: slím, trím, whám, pómpom, thém, drêam, wårm, hím, húm, próblem, Ádam, hêlium, têdium, thêorem, sêrum.

The prefixes in- and con- become im- and com- before p: impâtient, impàrtial, impráctical, complête, compônent, cómposíte, compôse.

Silent m occurs in mnemónic *nemónic, cf. silent n in åutumn.

The double m following the double c in accommodátion (cf. commódity) is notorious.

See also