mean to say
"mean-to-say" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mean to say” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To imply or intend to convey with one's words; used to correct or clarify one's previous utterance, or to seek such clarification.
Corpus desk
Index EN-mean-to-say · mean to say · English
mean to say · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "M" 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 | mean to say |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “mean to say” in English
Rare enough to double-check
mean to say is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To imply or intend to convey with one's words; used to correct or clarify one's previous utterance, or to seek such clarification.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for mean to say, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is mean to say, spelled M-E-A-N- -T-O- -S-A-Y.
Definition
- 1To imply or intend to convey with one's words; used to correct or clarify one's previous utterance, or to seek such clarification.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how mean to say appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"[…] It is a match that must give universal satisfaction. In short, it is a kind of thing that" — lowering his voice to an important whisper — "will be exceedingly welcome to all parties." Recollecting himself, however, he added, "That is, I mean to say—your friends are all truly anxious to see you well settled; Fanny particularly […]"
"You wicked boy, do you mean to say you've left those poor children there alone in the pigstye?"
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.