meanwhile

\miːnwaɪl\

/\miːnwaɪl\/ adv

The verdict

“meanwhile” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adverb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pendant ce temps, cependant, entre-temps.

Corpus desk

Index FR-meanwhile · meanwhile · French

meanwhile · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for meanwhile
PropertyValue
Headwordmeanwhile
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdverb
IPA\miːnwaɪl\
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « meanwhile » en français

meanwhilen'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

meanwhile is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadverb, transcribed \miːnwaɪl\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for meanwhile, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is meanwhile, spelled M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pendant ce temps, cependant, entre-temps.
  2. 2
    En même temps, en attendant.
  3. 3
    Dans l’intervalle.

Synonyms

in the mean timein the meanwhile

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "meanwhile"?
"meanwhile" is spelled M-E-A-N-W-H-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \miːnwaɪl\.
What does "meanwhile" mean?
As an adverb, "meanwhile" means: Pendant ce temps, cependant, entre-temps.
How do you pronounce "meanwhile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "meanwhile" is \miːnwaɪl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "meanwhile" come from?
"meanwhile" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list