Which to use
“Maut” and “may” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,753
- “Maut” frequency rank
- #5,282
- “may” frequency rank
- 14035
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Maut | may |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Zoll | fünfter Monat im Kalenderjahr; Mai |
Where the eye mixes Maut and may
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Maut vs may
A purely visual mix-up. Maut ([maʊ̯t]) and may ([mɑj]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14035, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Maut is recorded at frequency rank #8,753, classified as anoun, pronounced [maʊ̯t]. may is at rank #5,282, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mɑj].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 14035, this pair ranks #1,954,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Maut vs may
Shared letters: am. Private to "Maut": tu. Private to "may": y.
"Maut" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "may" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Maut ← amut · matu · mautt · mmaut · muat
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Maut" for "may" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Maut" or "may"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Maut" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "may" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,954,019 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Maut" and "may" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mals vs Maut". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,954,019 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.