mike
/ˈmaɪk/noun, verb
mike is spelled M-I-K-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 63 times per million words in written English, the 1,668th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “mic vs mike” about 390 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, mike means “A microphone” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mike is mikes.
How many letters and syllables are in mike?
| Letters | 4: M-I-K-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 63 times per million words; the 1,668th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
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 mike?
Mike appears 63 times per million words in written English, the 1,668th 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 mike?
- /ˈmaɪk/
Mike 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mike.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Mike.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mike
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: mic (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Also written: mic.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of mike
- mikes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- miking participle, present
- miked participle, past
- mic
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mike mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
informalA microphone.
- 2
Alternative letter-case form of Mike from the NATO/ICAO Phonetic Alphabet.
- 3
slangA minute.
We'll be there in one zero mikes [i.e. ten minutes].
- 4
slangClipping of microgram.
verb
- 1
To microphone; to place one or more microphones (mikes) on.
- 2
To measure using a micrometer.
noun
- 1
A radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter M.
- 2
slangAn Irishman, especially a labourer.
[…] very hard work, a holy day – & the boys went on to […] & took the Mikes, so I cd get no helper but Marty – had to set up Punch & Judy show – & when I proposed to decorate tree heard it was still in the woods! However John Rourke appeare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mike in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense informal: microphone:
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 mike come from?
Alteration of mic, clipping of microphone. Attested since 1927.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).