meantime

/ˈmiːntaɪm/

//ˈmiːntaɪm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"meantime" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meantime” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,710. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,710
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.

Corpus desk

Index EN-meantime · meantime · English

meantime · rank #6,710 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,710
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mathematical

Nearest frequency peer: mathematical (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “meantime”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “meantime” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for meantime
PropertyValue
Headwordmeantime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmiːntaɪm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,710
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “meantime”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).meantimelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mathematical” (#6,709), “nails” (#6,711), “magnificent” (#6,708). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “meantime” is #6,710. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around meantime (IPA /ˈmiːntaɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,710 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for meantime, with forms such as "emantime", "maentime", and "meanitme". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime. The correct English form is meantime, spelled M-E-A-N-T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how meantime appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We'll come back asap; just wait here for the meantime.

Etymology

From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime.

Synonyms

between-timemeanwhileinterim

This word in other languages

entretanto(Español)pendant ce temps(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emantime
  • maentime
  • meanitme
  • meanntime
  • meantiem
  • meantimme
  • meantmie
  • meanttime
  • meatnime
  • menatime
  • mmeantime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of meantime - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

emantime2maentime2meanitme2meanntime1meantiem2meantimme1meantmie2meanttime1
Edit distance from "meantime"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "meantime"?
"meantime" is spelled M-E-A-N-T-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmiːntaɪm/.
What does "meantime" mean?
As a noun, "meantime" means: The time spent waiting for another event; time in between.
What are common misspellings of "meantime"?
Common misspellings include "emantime", "maentime", "meanitme", "meanntime", "meantiem". The correct spelling is "meantime".
How do you pronounce "meantime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "meantime" is /ˈmiːntaɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "meantime"?
From Middle English menetime, equivalent to mean + time. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the meantime. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "meantime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

likewise#6,705opposing#6,717pipeline#6,722ignoring#6,694

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

planted11 variantspricing11 variantsenhance11 variantsEdwards11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list