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PlainSpell

mind

/maɪnd/noun, verb

mind is spelled M-I-N-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mind means “The capability for rational thought” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mind is minds.

How many letters and syllables are in mind?

Letters4: M-I-N-D
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing257 times per million words; the 373rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Sounds like
Rhymes with

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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is mind?

Mind appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd 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 mind?

  • US /maɪnd/
  • British /mɑjnd/
  • Australia /mɑend/

Mind 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-mind.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with mind

Sounds like: mined (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with mind?

4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mind from its last stressed vowel (/aɪnd/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of mind

  • minds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • minding participle, present
  • minded participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does mind mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The capability for rational thought.

    Despite advancing age, his mind was still as sharp as ever.

  2. 2

    The ability to be aware of things.

    There was no doubt in his mind that they would win.

  3. 3

    The ability to remember things.

    My mind just went blank.

  4. 4

    The ability to focus the thoughts.

    I can’t keep my mind on what I’m doing.

  5. 5

    Somebody that embodies certain mental qualities.

    He was one of history’s greatest minds.

  6. 6

    Thinking characteristic of particular group.

    Who knows what really goes through the criminal mind?

  7. 7

    Judgment, opinion, or view.

    He changed his mind after hearing the speech.

  8. 8

    Desire, inclination, or intention.

    She had a mind to go to Paris.

verb

  1. 1

    To bring or recall to mind; to remember; bear or keep in mind.

  2. 2

    To remember.

    The land where I shall mind you not / Is the land where all's forgot.

  3. 3

    obsoleteTo remind; put one's mind on.

  4. 4

    To turn one's mind to; to observe; to notice.

    Mind the new detour signs. If you don't mind, you'll end up running into bears in the forest.

  5. 5

    To regard with attention; to treat as of consequence.

    It's the worst thing that can ever happen to you in all your life, and you've got to mind it–you've got to mind it. They'll come saying, 'Bear up–trust to time.' No, no; they're wrong. Mind it.

  6. 6

    To pay attention or heed to so as to obey; hence to obey; to make sure, to take care (that).

    Mind you don't knock that glass over.

  7. 7

    To pay attention to, in the sense of occupying one's mind with, to heed.

    You should mind your own business.

  8. 8

    To look after, to take care of, especially for a short period of time.

    Would you mind my bag for me?

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Mind in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchesprit, raison, intelligence (ability for rational thought), mémoire (ability to remember things), concentration (ability to focus the thoughts), génie (somebody that embodies certain mental qualities)
GermanVerstand, Geist, Sinn (ability for rational thought), Gedächtnis, Gedanken (ability to remember things), Bewusstsein (ability to be aware of things)
Portuguesemente (ability for rational thought), memória (ability to remember things), concentração (ability to focus the thoughts), mentalidade, opinião (judgment, opinion, or view), cuidar (to pay attention to, take note of)
Spanishmente (ability for rational thought), memoria (ability to remember things), concentración (ability to focus the thoughts), genio, pensador (somebody that embodies certain mental qualities), tomar en cuenta (to pay attention to, take note of)

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 mind come from?

From Middle English minde, munde, imynde, imunde, ȝemynde, ȝemunde, from Old English mynd, ġemynd (“mind, memory”), from Proto-West Germanic *mundi, *gamundi, from Proto-Germanic *mundiz, *gamundiz (“memory, remembrance”), from Proto-Indo-European *méntis (“thought”) (compare also mantis, via Greek), from the root *men- (“to think”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after mind