mayn't
may·n't/ˈmeɪnt/obsolete
mayn't is spelled M-A-Y-N-T: 5 letters and 2 syllables (may·n't). It appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, mayn't means “may not (negative auxiliary)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mayn't?
| Letters | 5: M-A-Y-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: may·n't |
| In writing | about once in every 44 million words; the 204,233rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mayn't?
Mayn't appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mayn't?
- /ˈmeɪnt/
- /ˈmeɪ.ənt/
Mayn't has 2 syllables, split may·n't in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Persent101-mayn't.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mayn't
- mightn't past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mayn't mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
archaicmay not (negative auxiliary)
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mayn't in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense contraction of "may not", might not:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | no poder |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mayn't come from?
From may + -n't.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).