mightn't
/ˈmaɪtn̩t/obsolete
mightn't is spelled M-I-G-H-T-N-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, mightn't means “might not (negative auxiliary)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mightn't?
| Letters | 7: M-I-G-H-T-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 81,375th 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 mightn't?
Mightn't appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th 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 mightn't?
- UK /ˈmaɪtn̩t/
- UK [ˈmaɪʔn̩ʔ]
Mightn't 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)-Persent101-mightn't.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What does mightn't mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
UKarchaicmight not (negative auxiliary)
“But, mightn’t there have been something unusual about the Stimatis contract itself?” [Perry Mason cross-examining Roger Correll.]
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does mightn't come from?
From might + n't.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).