⚠️ Same spelling, two pronunciations, two meanings!
/ˈmɪnɪt/
noun — 60 seconds, stress on 1st syllable
/maɪˈnjuːt/
adjective — very small, stress on 2nd syllable
noun — 60 seconds — 'Wait a minute.' · stress: MIN-ute
mouth shape
short /ɪ/ — stress on the FIRST syllable — two syllables, clipped and quick
minute
/ˈmɪnɪt/
vowel length
plays as: “wait a minute”
adjective — extremely small, or very detailed — 'The difference is minute.' · stress: mi-NUTE
mouth shape
diphthong /aɪ/ — stress on the SECOND syllable — mouth opens wide, then glides up
minute
/maɪˈnjuːt/
vowel length
plays as: “the difference is minute”
Key difference
Same letters, two completely different words. Where the stress falls changes everything: stress the first syllable (MIN-ute) and it means 60 seconds. Stress the second syllable (mi-NUTE) and the vowel itself changes — it becomes the diphthong /aɪ/ — and it means tiny.
Example sentences
/ˈmɪnɪt/ (time):“Wait a minute.”
/maɪˈnjuːt/ (tiny):“The difference is minute.”
Hear it in the wild
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How teachers explain this
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Word families
minute (time) family ▸
minute (tiny) family ▸
Related pairs
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