Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

minnow

/ˈmɪnoʊ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.62 in modern English

Syllables
min-now
IPA
/ˈmɪnoʊ/
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of certain small fish.

noun

Any of certain small fish.

noun

Any of certain small fish.

noun

Any of certain small fish.

American usage

noun

Any of certain small fish.

Australian usage; New Zealand usage

noun

Any of certain small fish.

British usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

The noun is derived from Late Middle English menew, menowe (“small fish; (specifically) common minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus); or stickleback (possibly the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus)”), from Old English *mynwe, an oblique form of *mynu, a variant of myne (“minnow; small fish”), from Proto-West Germanic *muniwu (“minnow; small fish”), from Proto-Indo-European *men- (“small”). Possibly influenced by Anglo-Norman menu (“small”) and Old French menu (“small”), and English minim (“anything very minute; applied to animalcula and the like”). The adjective and verb are derived from the noun. Cognates * Middle Low German mone, möne (Dutch meun, West Frisian meun) * Old High German muniwa, munuwa, munewa (modern German Münne (“minnow”)) * Latin mēna (“small sea-fish”)

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *men-, menew, *mynwe, *muniwu

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɪnoʊ/
  • British English: /ˈmɪnəʊ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Homonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce minnow?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪnoʊ/.
What does minnow mean?
Any of certain small fish.
Where does minnow come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce minnow

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “minnow”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɪnoʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “minnow”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “minnow” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.