Which to use
“maim” is a verb and “maki” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,918
- “maim” frequency rank
- #31,647
- “maki” frequency rank
- 76565
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maim | maki |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. | A ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maim and maki apart are highlighted. They share 3 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 maki is /ˈmɑːki/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76565, 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/. maki is at rank #31,647, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɑːki/.
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 76565, this pair ranks #29,751 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of maim vs maki
Shared letters: aim. Private to "maim": -. Private to "maki": k.
"maim" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "maki" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maim" and "maki" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maim" or "maki"?
Remembering maim vs maki
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “maim”; for a noun, it's “maki”.
- 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