# madam vs maxim

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### madam
*noun · IPA /ˈmæd.əm/ · frequency rank #13,192*
A polite form of address for a woman or lady.

### maxim
*noun · IPA /ˈmæk.sɪm/ · frequency rank #17,411*
A self-evident axiom or premise; a pithy expression of a general principle or rule.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/madam-vs-maxim