minute

/ˈmɪnɪt/

//ˈmɪnɪt// noun

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

"minute" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“minute” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,124. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,124
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A unit of time which is one sixtieth of an hour (sixty seconds).

Corpus desk

Index EN-minute · minute · English

minute · rank #1,124 · 8 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,124
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH leaving

Nearest frequency peer: leaving (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “minute”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “minute” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

minute vs mute
67% similar
minute vs mite
67% similar
minute vs monte
67% similar

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

Key facts for minute
PropertyValue
Headwordminute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪnɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,124
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “minute” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). minute lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around minute (IPA /ˈmɪnɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,124 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for minute, with forms such as "imnute", "minnute", and "mintue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "mute", "mite", "monte", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mynute, minute, mynet, from Old French minute, from Medieval Latin minūta (“60th of an hour; note”). Doublet of menu and menudo. The correct English form is minute, spelled M-I-N-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A unit of time which is one sixtieth of an hour (sixty seconds).
  2. 2
    A short but unspecified time period.
  3. 3
    A unit of angle equal to one-sixtieth of a degree.
  4. 4
    A (usually formal) written record of a meeting or a part of a meeting.
  5. 5
    A unit of purchase on a telephone or other similar network, especially a cell phone network, roughly equivalent in gross form to sixty seconds' use of the network.
  6. 6
    A point in time; a moment.
  7. 7
    A nautical or a geographic mile.
  8. 8
    An old coin, a half farthing.
  9. 9
    A very small part of anything, or anything very small; a jot; a whit.
  10. 10
    A fixed part of a module.
  11. 11
    A while or a long unspecified period of time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonyms: hectosecond < kilosecond < hour < day < week < megasecond < fortnight < month < year < gigasecond < century < kiloannum, kiloyear, millennium < terasecond < mega-annum, megayear < petasecond < giga-annum, gigayear < exasecond < zettasecond < yottasecond < ronnasecond < quettasecond
  2. Meronyms: quectosecond < rontosecond < yoctosecond < zeptosecond < attosecond < femtosecond < picosecond < nanosecond < microsecond < millisecond < centisecond < decisecond < second < decasecond

Etymology

From Middle English mynute, minute, mynet, from Old French minute, from Medieval Latin minūta (“60th of an hour; note”). Doublet of menu and menudo.

This word in other languages

minuto(Español)minute(Français)Minute(Deutsch)minuto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imnute
  • minnute
  • mintue
  • minuet
  • minutte
  • miunte
  • mminute
  • mniute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of minute - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imnute2minnute1mintue2minuet2minutte1miunte2mminute1mniute2
Edit distance from "minute"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "minute"?
"minute" is spelled M-I-N-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪnɪt/.
What does "minute" mean?
As a noun, "minute" means: A unit of time which is one sixtieth of an hour (sixty seconds).
What words are commonly confused with "minute"?
"minute" is commonly confused with "mute", "mite", "monte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "minute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "minute" is /ˈmɪnɪt/. 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 "minute"?
From Middle English mynute, minute, mynet, from Old French minute, from Medieval Latin minūta (“60th of an hour; note”). Doublet of menu and menudo. 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 "minute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nature#1,125forces#1,120unless#1,131beyond#1,116

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Canada8 variantsincome8 variantsspend8 variantsregion8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "minute". Here's where to go from here.

  • "minute" maps to 18 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "mute". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,124 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list