mime

/maɪm/

//maɪm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"mime" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mime” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,885. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,885
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A form of acting without words; pantomime.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mime · mime · English

mime · rank #26,885 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,885
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH minivan

Nearest frequency peer: minivan (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mime”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mime” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mime vs MM
0% similar
mime vs mom
50% similar
mime vs mix
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mime
PropertyValue
Headwordmime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/maɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#26,885
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mime”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mimelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “minivan” (#26,886), “mistrust” (#26,887), “maximal” (#26,882). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mime” is #26,885. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mime (IPA /maɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,885 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mime, with forms such as "imme", "miem", and "mimme". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MM", "mom", "mix", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is mime, spelled M-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A form of acting without words; pantomime.
  2. 2
    A pantomime actor.
  3. 3
    A classical theatrical entertainment in the form of farce.
  4. 4
    A performer of such a farce.
  5. 5
    A person who mimics others in a comical manner.
  6. 6
    Any of various papilionid butterflies of the genus Chilasa or Papilio, that mimic other species in appearance.
  7. 7
    A unit of imitation in the theory of symbiosism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mime appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [Silence] demands returning to the self, to innocence and a portrayal of situations as if all the particulars were completely unknown to the viewer. There are no props but the muscular versatility of the human form. Mime is the one thing that truly proves we can be all things.
  2. The mimes were packed with lascivious gestures and movements, and usually presented erotic scenes, on occasion farcically treated.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

pantomima(Español)pantomime(Français)mímica(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imme
  • miem
  • mimme
  • mmie
  • mmime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mime - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imme2miem2mimme1mmie2mmime1
Edit distance from "mime"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mime"?
"mime" is spelled M-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /maɪm/.
What does "mime" mean?
As a noun, "mime" means: A form of acting without words; pantomime.
What words are commonly confused with "mime"?
"mime" is commonly confused with "MM", "mom", "mix". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mime" is /maɪm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "mime"?
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 sa... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nave#26,896mage#26,873NCIS#26,897lynx#26,871

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

Leto5 variantsplatt5 variantsjest5 variantsJana5 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list