minuscule
/ˈmɪnɪˌskjuːl/noun, adjective
minuscule is spelled M-I-N-U-S-C-U-L-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, minuscule means “A lowercase letter” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of minuscule is minuscules.
How many letters and syllables are in minuscule?
| Letters | 9: M-I-N-U-S-C-U-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th 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 minuscule?
Minuscule appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th 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 minuscule?
- UK /ˈmɪnɪˌskjuːl/
- UK /ˈmɪnəˌskjuːl/
- UK /ˈmɪnjəˌskjuːl/
Minuscule has 3 syllables (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-minuscule.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of minuscule
- minuscules plural
- miniscule
- more minuscule comparative
- most minuscule superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does minuscule mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A lowercase letter.
- 2
Either of the two medieval handwriting styles minuscule cursive and Caroline minuscule.
- 3
A letter in these styles.
adjective
- 1
Written in minuscules, lowercase.
- 2
Written in minuscule handwriting style.
- 3
Very small; tiny.
a minuscule dot
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Minuscule in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | minuscule |
| German | Kleinbuchstabe, Gemeinbuchstabe, Gemeiner (der Gemeine), Minuskel , Klein- , klitzeklein |
| Portuguese | minúscula , minúsculo |
| Spanish | minúscula, letra de caja baja , minúsculo |
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 minuscule come from?
From French minuscule, from Latin minuscula, feminine of minusculus (“rather less, rather small”), from minus (“less, smaller”) + -culus (diminutive suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).