Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

minivan

/mˈɪnivˈæn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.06 in modern English

Syllables
mini-van
IPA
/mˈɪnivˈæn/
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A small van, especially (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines) one primarily used for family transport.

verb

To travel or transport in a small van.

Etymology

From mini- + van. First widely used in the 1980s, when this class of vehicles became widely popular as an alternative to station wagons (estate cars). Attested earlier in technical usage, usually as mini-van.

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

minivans (plural) minivans (present, singular) minivanning (participle, present) minivanned (participle, past) minivanned (past)

Frequently Paired Words

mini-van van car CUV XUV SUV sport utility vehicle station wagon

Rhymes With

an can than man one-man plan began san fan japan ran van

Questions

How do you pronounce minivan?
The recorded pronunciation is /mˈɪnivˈæn/.
What does minivan mean?
A small van, especially (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines) one primarily used for family transport.
Where does minivan come from?
From mini- + van. First widely used in the 1980s, when this class of vehicles became widely popular as an alternative to station wagons (estate cars). Attested earlier in technical usage, usually as mini-van.

How to pronounce minivan

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