Which to use
“magic” is a noun and “maim” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,796
- “magic” frequency rank
- #44,918
- “maim” frequency rank
- 46714
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | magic | maim |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them. | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. |
Where the eye mixes magic and maim
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between magic and maim
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: magic is /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/ while maim is /meɪm/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
magic is recorded at frequency rank #1,796, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/. maim is at rank #44,918, tagged as averb, pronounced /meɪm/.
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 46714, this pair ranks #209,168 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of magic vs maim
Shared letters: aim. Private to "magic": cg. Private to "maim": -.
"magic" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "maim" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "magic" and "maim" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "magic" or "maim" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "magic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "maim" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #209,168 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "magic" and "maim" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maim vs marl". 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 #209,168 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.