mime
/maɪm/noun, verb
mime is spelled M-I-M-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mime means “A form of acting without words; pantomime” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mime is mimes.
How many letters and syllables are in mime?
| Letters | 4: M-I-M-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th 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 mime?
Mime appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 mime?
- /maɪm/
- /miːm/
Mime 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-mime.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mime
- mimes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- miming participle, present
- mimed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mime mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of acting without words; pantomime.
- 2
A pantomime actor.
- 3
A classical theatrical entertainment in the form of farce.
- 4
A performer of such a farce.
- 5
A person who mimics others in a comical manner.
- 6
Any of various papilionid butterflies of the genus Chilasa or Papilio, that mimic other species in appearance.
- 7
A unit of imitation in the theory of symbiosism.
verb
- 1
To mimic.
- 2
To act without words.
- 3
To represent an action or object through gesture, without the use of sound.
In this game, you're given a word, which you have to mime to the others in the group.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mime in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pantomime, mime |
| Portuguese | mímica , mímico |
| Spanish | mimo, mimodrama, mímica , gesticular, mimar |
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 mime come from?
Possibly from Middle English mime, from Old English mīma (“a buffoon, jester, mime”), from Latin mimus, from Ancient Greek μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”), but more likely re-borrowed in modern times from French mime (“mimic actor”), from the same source.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).