meanwhile
/ˈmiːnwaɪl/noun, adverb
meanwhile is spelled M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, meanwhile means “The time between two events” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of meanwhile is meanwhiles.
How many letters and syllables are in meanwhile?
| Letters | 9: M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 30 times per million words; the 3,114th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is meanwhile?
Meanwhile appears 30 times per million words in written English, the 3,114th 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 meanwhile?
- /ˈmiːnwaɪl/
- /ˈmiːnhwaɪl/
Meanwhile has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-meanwhile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of meanwhile
- meanwhiles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does meanwhile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The time between two events.
In the meanwhile, the surveyors carried the line three miles, which was no contemptible day's work, considering how cruelly they were entangled with briers and gallbushes.
adverb
- 1
During the time that something is happening, often specifically in a different place.
There was a party going on downstairs. Meanwhile, I was reading a book.
- 2
During an intervening time; from now until a future time.
We’re going on holiday next month; meanwhile, keep working on the project.
- 3
In contrast to aspects previously mentioned.
Some songs on the album are beautiful. Meanwhile, others are quite forgettable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Meanwhile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pendant ce temps-là, entretemps, en attendant |
| German | währenddessen, inzwischen, derweil, einstweilen , unterdessen |
| Portuguese | ao mesmo tempo, simultaneamente , enquanto isso, entretanto , no entanto |
| Spanish | mientras tanto , entretanto, a todo esto, a todas estas |
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 meanwhile come from?
From Middle English menewhile, equivalent to mean (“intermediate”) + while. Adverb is by ellipsis from in the mean while, noun being conventionally written as one word after the adjective.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).