mild
/ˈmaɪld/adjective, noun
mild is spelled M-I-L-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, mild means “Gentle and not easily angered” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in mild?
| Letters | 4: M-I-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 13 times per million words; the 5,957th 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 mild?
Mild appears 13 times per million words in written English, the 5,957th 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 mild?
- /ˈmaɪld/
Mild 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: En-us-mild.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mild
- milder comparative
- mildest superlative
- milds plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mild mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Gentle and not easily angered
a mild man
- 2
Of only moderate severity; not strict.
He received a mild sentence.
- 3
Conciliatory, nonpolemical; gentle in tone.
- 4
Not overly felt or seriously intended.
- 5
Not serious or dangerous.
- 6
Moderately warm, especially less cold than expected.
a mild day
- 7
Acting gently and without causing harm.
a mild anaesthetic
- 8
Not sharp or bitter; not strong in flavor.
a mild curry
noun
- 1
UKA relatively low-gravity beer, often with a dark colour; mild ale
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mild in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | doux, douce , léger, bénin, bénigne |
| German | mild, ausgeglichen , schwach |
| Portuguese | suave, gentil , leve , ameno |
| Spanish | leve, lene, lieve |
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 mild come from?
From Middle English milde, from Old English milde (“mild”), from Proto-Germanic *mildijaz (“mild”), from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to beat, pound, grind”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).