a mite
/ə ˈmaɪt/
"a-mite" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“a mite” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To a small extent; in a small amount; rather.
Corpus desk
Index EN-a-mite · a mite · English
a mite · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "A" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | a mite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adverb |
| IPA | /ə ˈmaɪt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “a mite” in English
Rare enough to double-check
a mite is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed /ə ˈmaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To a small extent; in a small amount; rather.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for a mite, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From a + mite (“minute arachnid of the order Acarina; anything very small, a minute object, a very little quantity or particle”). The correct English form is a mite, spelled A- -M-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1To a small extent; in a small amount; rather.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how a mite appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"I hope Mary has been the best of girls?" / "The bestest little girl, Sir—a mite too lively, perhaps, especially when she hears you're coming to see her,[…].["]
"Silas, now," Esther Whitley had said, "would be a good one for you, Hannah. He's a mite on the old side, but he's steady, an' he's been wed before. He knows the ways of a woman better'n some."
Etymology
From a + mite (“minute arachnid of the order Acarina; anything very small, a minute object, a very little quantity or particle”).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.