Which to use
“maim” and “mix” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,918
- “maim” frequency rank
- #2,003
- “mix” frequency rank
- 46921
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maim | mix |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To wound seriously; to cause permanent loss of function of a limb or part of the body. | To stir together. |
Where the eye mixes maim and mix
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses maim with mix
A purely visual mix-up. maim (/meɪm/) and mix (/ˈmɪks/) 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 46921, 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/. mix is at rank #2,003, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈmɪks/.
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 46921, this pair ranks #207,249 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maim vs mix
Shared letters: im. Private to "maim": a. Private to "mix": x.
"maim" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mix" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- maim ← amim · maimm · mmaim
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maim" and "mix" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "maim" vs "mix" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maim" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mix" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #207,249 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maim" and "mix" 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 #207,249 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.