Heteronym
"Resume" has two different pronunciations with two different meanings. Say rih-ZOOM when it means to continue after a pause (verb), and REZ-oo-may when it means a summary of work history (noun). Which one is correct depends entirely on the sentence.
verb
rih-ZOOM
to continue after a pause
“We will resume after lunch.”
noun
REZ-oo-may
a summary of work history
“Send me your resume.”
Each button speaks the respelling, not the spelling — otherwise the speech engine would pick a single default pronunciation for both senses.
| Pronunciation | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rih-ZOOM | verb | to continue after a pause |
| REZ-oo-may | noun | a summary of work history |
"Resume" has two different pronunciations with two different meanings. Say rih-ZOOM when it means to continue after a pause (verb), and REZ-oo-may when it means a summary of work history (noun). Which one is correct depends entirely on the sentence.
Pronounced rih-ZOOM, "resume" is a verb meaning to continue after a pause. For example: "We will resume after lunch."
Pronounced REZ-oo-may, "resume" is a noun meaning a summary of work history. For example: "Send me your resume."
"Resume" is a heteronym: two distinct words that happen to be spelled the same way. English spelling did not standardise around pronunciation, so unrelated words sometimes converged on one spelling while keeping separate sounds.
See the full entry for “resume”, browse all 76 heteronyms and stress pairs, or learn how English stress works.