Rumored

How to spell rumored

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce rumored

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does rumored mean?

1. adjectiveSaid or circulated as talk that is not confirmed or proven.

Rumored in a sentence

• The company is rumored to be planning a round of layoffs.

• A rumored pay rise never actually appeared in anyone's paycheck.

Where does rumored come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin rumor, which meant 'noise', 'murmur', or the buzz of common talk passing through a crowd. It travelled into English through Old French in the late medieval period, when 'rumour' named talk spread among people without a clear or proven source. The verb sense, meaning to circulate something as unverified talk, grew naturally from the noun, and the form 'rumored' is the past participle and adjective built by adding -ed. The single internal 'r' and the unstressed second syllable are the main spelling trap, since the ending sounds like a vague 'er'. Note that this -or spelling is the American (and frequently Canadian) form; British writers spell it 'rumoured', which keeps the older French-influenced -our.

How the word is built

• rumor (from Latin rumor: common talk, hearsay)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)

British and American spelling

Rumored is the American spelling. British English spells it rumoured.