Which to use
“maim” is a verb and “maimed” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,918
- “maim” frequency rank
- #36,651
- “maimed” frequency rank
- 81569
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maim | maimed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. | Partially or wholly deprived of the use of some part of the body, usually by wounding or injury. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maim and maimed apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: maim is /meɪm/ while maimed is /meɪmd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “maim” sits inside “maimed”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81569, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maim is recorded at frequency rank #44,918, classified as averb, pronounced /meɪm/. maimed is at rank #36,651, tagged as anadj, pronounced /meɪmd/.
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 81569, this pair ranks #17,434 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of maim vs maimed
Shared letters: aim. Private to "maim": -. Private to "maimed": de.
"maim" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "maimed" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maim" and "maimed" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maim" or "maimed"?
Remembering maim vs maimed
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “maim”; for an adjective, it's “maimed”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maim” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable