The Arabic word for mother is أم, pronounced um. The word والدة, pronounced waledah, is the feminine form for parent. The masculine is waled والد.

If you use waledah والدة, you should not pronounce it waleedah, that would invert the meaning to the word for a newborn female child.

Hope this helps,

Alaa Zeineldine

mother: 'umm أم (u is close to double o in look or good)
the mother: al'umm الأم
my mother:'ummee أمي
mother is also: waalida
the mother: alwaalida
my mother: walidati والدتي
'umm is more common than walida

Sarah,

This answer in no way abnegates or contardicts Alaa's and Raghad's answers, with which I thoroughly agree. I merely wish to add the invocative form, the form used when addressing one's own mother. This is the form commonly used where I grew up, but there are other, slightly different forms used in different regions. These include YUMMA (common in Iraq) and, my favorite, UMMAYI.

Pronunciation point: The A in UMMAH is long, like the A in "father." The stress is on the second syllable.

Happy mother's day.

Fuad

The first one is for english speakers and the se ond one is for French speakers.
I hope it helps you.
Yacine.