mic
/ˈmaɪk/noun, verb
mic is spelled M-I-C: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “mic vs mike” about 390 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, mic means “Alternative form of mike (“microphone”)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mic is mics.
How many letters and syllables are in mic?
| Letters | 3: M-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is mic?
Mic appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd 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 mic?
- /ˈmaɪk/
Mic has one syllable (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).
Words people confuse with mic
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: mike.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of mic
- mics plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mic's present, singular, he/she/it
- micing participle, present
- mic'ing participle, present
- miced participle, past
- mic'd participle, past
- mic'ed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Alternative form of mike (“microphone”).
- 2
A microfarad.
noun
- 1
Abbreviation of methylisocyanate.
- 2
Initialism of minor in consumption (of alcohol).
- 3
Initialism of military-industrial complex.
- 4
Initialism of minimum inhibitory concentration.
- 5
Initialism of mechanic-in-charge.
adjective
- 1
Initialism of made in China.
noun
- 1
Initialism of modular integrated construction
verb
- 1
Alternative form of mike.
If we add the drum kit, we'll have to mic the orchestra.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does mic come from?
Clipping of microphone. Attested since 1961.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).