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PlainSpell

meow

/miˈaʊ/interjection, noun, verb

meow is spelled M-E-O-W: 4 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an interjection, meow means “Used to indicate the cry of a cat” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in meow?

Letters4: M-E-O-W
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.9 times per million words; the 19,825th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is meow?

Meow appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 19,825th 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 meow?

  • US /miˈaʊ/
  • US [mjaʊ̯]

Meow 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: MeowUSA.wav, En-au-meow.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with meow

Also written: meow meow.

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with meow?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as meow from its last stressed vowel (/aʊ/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of meow

  • miaow UK
  • miaou UK
  • meows plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • meowing participle, present
  • meowed participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does meow mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

interjection

  1. 1

    Used to indicate the cry of a cat.

  2. 2

    colloquialUsed in reply to a spiteful or catty comment.

  3. 3

    colloquialUsed to express seductiveness, mimicking a growl.

noun

  1. 1

    The cry of a cat.

  2. 2

    UKslangThe drug mephedrone.

verb

  1. 1

    Of a cat, to make its cry.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Meow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchmiaou, miaulement, nyaw (cry of a cat), miauler (of a cat, to make its cry)
Germanmiau, maunz, Miau, Miauen, Maunzen, Gemaunze (cry of a cat)
Portuguesemiau, miado (cry of a cat), miar (of a cat, to make its cry)
Spanishmiau, ñau, ñew, maullido (cry of a cat), maullar, hacer miau (of a cat, to make its cry)

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 meow come from?

Alteration of earlier mew, from Middle English mewen, mouwen (“to mew, meow”), of onomatopoeic origin. Compare Saterland Frisian mauje, miauje (“to meow”), West Frisian miaukje (“to meow”), Dutch miauwen (“to meow”), Middle Low German mauwen, mawen, mouwen (“to meow”) (whence modern German Low German mauen, miauen (“to meow”)), Middle High German mouen, modern German miauen (“to meow”). Some spellings were modelled on French miaou.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after meow