2 syllables: mi, nutes. Stress on mi.
MIN-uhts
/ˈmɪnəts/
minutes is pronounced MIN-uhts (/ˈmɪnəts/). It has two syllables (mi-nutes), with the stress on "mi". Minutes refers to the plural form of minute, meaning either units of time equal to sixty seconds or, in meetings or records, notes taken during a session. It can also denote a short amount of time in casual speech. The word often appears in everyday planning, scheduling, and timekeeping contexts, and attention to its pronunciation helps avoid confusion with the plural noun form of minute as a unit of angle or quantity in technical discourse.
Minutes refers to the plural form of minute, meaning either units of time equal to sixty seconds or, in meetings or records, notes taken during a session. It can also denote a short amount of time in casual speech. The word often appears in everyday planning, scheduling, and timekeeping contexts, and attention to its pronunciation helps avoid confusion with the plural noun form of minute as a unit of angle or quantity in technical discourse.
"I need to leave in five minutes."
"The meeting minutes were distributed after lunch."
"She spent minutes waiting for the train to arrive."
Pronounce it as MIN-its with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA for US: /ˈmɪnɪts/. The T is often a clear stop in careful speech; in rapid speech it can be softened, sounding like /ˈmɪnɪts/ or even /ˈmɪnɪs/ in very casual registers. Position your tongue high in the front of the mouth for /mɪn/ and keep a crisp /t/ before the final /s/. Audio references: Cambridge or Forvo entries for minutes can give native recordings to compare.
Two frequent errors: (1) de-voicing or deleting the final /t/ leading to /ˈmɪnɪs/; (2) confusing /ɪ/ vs /iː/ in the first syllable, producing /ˈmiːnɪts/. Correct by enforcing a full /t/ before the final /s/ and maintaining a short, lax /ɪ/ in the first syllable. Practice with minimal pairs like MIN-its vs MAIN-its and ensure the /t/ remains audible even in fast speech.
In US English, stress remains on the first syllable with a clear /t/ before the final /s/. UK English often keeps a similar pattern but vowels may be slightly more centralized. Australian speech tends to be a bit more relaxed with shorter vowels, sometimes voicing the /t/ more softly and producing a lighter final /s/. All variations maintain /ˈmɪnɪts/ but vowel quality, flapping, or consonant voicing can alter perceived rhythm.
The challenge lies in the cluster /nmɪts/: the /n/ blends into a concise /m/ onset, and the /t/ must strike cleanly before the final /s/ to avoid a slushy ending. Non-rhotic speakers may devoice the /r/ none here, but ensure the /t/ is not elided in careful speech. Additionally, the short /ɪ/ vowel can reduce perceptual distance from /iː/ in rapid talk. Clear articulation and tempo control mitigate these difficulties.
A unique angle is keeping the transition between /n/ and /ɪ/ crisp while maintaining the /t/ before /s/. In careful speech you’ll hear a subtle release of /t/ before the /s/ (an affricate-like cue), whereas in extremely fast speech the /t/ may be slightly weakened. Monitoring the boundary between syllables helps you maintain clarity across varied speeds.
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Minutes comes from the Latin word minuta meaning small part, a diminutive, which passed into Old French as minute and then into English in the sense of a small portion of time. The term originally referred to the smallest division of something, the ‘small part’ of an hour, i.e., sixty seconds. Over time, minute broadened to refer to a unit of time and, in meeting contexts, the written notes taken during proceedings came to be called minutes, paralleling the idea of a concise, summarized record. The word’s first known use in English for the time unit appears in the 13th century, aligning with medieval timekeeping practices. By the 15th–16th centuries, minutes as records of meetings became standardized, and today both senses—time and records—are common, with “minutes” as the plural form retained for both meanings depending on context.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "minutes" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "minutes"
-tes sounds
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