How to pronounce Vermouth

What is Vermouth?

An aromatized, fortified wine flavored with wormwood and other herbs, roots, barks and spices, made in dry and sweet styles and widely used in cocktails.

The name means “Wormwood” in English.

Vermouth is an aromatized, fortified wine. A producer starts with a neutral grape wine, adds spirit to raise the strength, and flavors it with a blend of botanicals: herbs, roots, barks, flowers, seeds and spices. Sugar is added according to style. Most bottles sit at 16 to 18 percent alcohol, a little above ordinary table wine.

The name comes from Wermut, the German word for wormwood, which reached English through French. Wormwood is still the defining ingredient. Under European Union rules, a drink sold as vermouth must be at least 75 percent wine by volume and must take its characteristic taste from plants of the Artemisia genus, the wormwoods.

The modern drink took shape in Turin, in northwest Italy, where Antonio Benedetto Carpano introduced a sweet vermouth in 1786. A pale, dry style followed in France in the early 19th century. That is why sweet red vermouth is often called Italian and dry white vermouth French.

On a label, rosso or red means sweet and dark, dry or extra dry means pale with little sugar, and bianco or blanc means pale and sweet. Vermouth is wine, so it fades once opened. Keep the bottle in the refrigerator and finish it within one to three months.

Vermouth, syllable by syllable

Why Vermouth is hard to say

The word looks like ver plus the English word mouth, so the eye reaches for the ow of "south". English took it from French, though, and in French spelling ou is regularly the oo of "soup". The same letters give the oo in Roussanne, Mourvèdre and Pouilly. The th is the one English habit that stuck: French ends the word on a plain t, while English reads th as in "tooth".

Stress is where the two sides of the Atlantic part. American English keeps the weight at the end. British English has two forms side by side: one with end stress, and one that pulls the stress to the front and weakens the second vowel to a short uh, giving VUR-muth. Dictionaries list both for British use.

Other accepted pronunciations

These are also correct, and Vinolingo scores them as correct:

• VUR-muth — Established British English form.
• vuh-MOOTH — Established British English form, with the r not sounded.

Tips for saying it

How to order vermouth

At a bar, name the style along with the word: sweet vermouth for a Manhattan or a Negroni, dry vermouth for a Martini. In the United States, ver-MOOTH is what bartenders expect. In Britain you will hear VUR-muth and vuh-MOOTH as well, and all of these are fine to use. On its own, vermouth is usually served chilled or over ice.

• “Could I have a sweet vermouth on the rocks with a slice of orange?” Two beats, landing on MOOTH.
• “I would like a Martini with just a splash of dry vermouth.”

Names often confused with Vermouth

• Sherry (SHERR-ee): Also fortified, but from southern Spain and not flavored with herbs; dry sherry and dry vermouth are sometimes swapped in recipes.
• Port (PORT): A sweet fortified wine from Portugal that gets its flavor from grapes alone, with no added botanicals.
• Wermut (VAIR-moot): The German word for wormwood and the source of the name; German reads w as v and ends on a plain t.

Questions about pronouncing Vermouth

How do you pronounce vermouth?

In American English, vermouth is pronounced ver-MOOTH, with two syllables, the stress on the second and a long oo that rhymes with tooth. In British English the forms VUR-muth, stressed on the first syllable, and vuh-MOOTH are both established and accepted.

Is it ver-MOOTH or VER-muth?

Both are standard. Ver-MOOTH, with the stress at the end, is the American form and is also used in Britain. VUR-muth, with the stress at the front and a weak second vowel, is a British form listed in dictionaries.

Does vermouth rhyme with mouth?

No. The ending is spelled like the word mouth, but the ou follows French spelling and is said as a long oo. The stressed ending of ver-MOOTH rhymes with tooth and truth. In the British form VUR-muth the second vowel is a short, weak uh.

Is the h silent in vermouth?

Not in English. The final th is one sound, the soft th of tooth. French also writes the word vermout and ends it on a plain t, as German Wermut does. English keeps the th: ver-MOOTH.

What is the difference between sweet and dry vermouth?

Sweet vermouth, often red and labeled rosso, contains roughly 10 to 15 percent sugar and is the style used in a Manhattan or a Negroni. Dry vermouth is pale, generally holds no more than about 4 percent sugar and is the style used in a Martini.

Sources: Wiktionary: vermouth, Dictionary.com: vermouth, EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 251/2014 on aromatised wine products, Wikipedia: Vermouth. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.