# main vs mao

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### main
*adjective · IPA /meɪn/ · frequency rank #574*
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

### mao
*noun · frequency rank #13,014*
The ma'oma'o, Gymnomyza samoensis, a large passerine bird native to Samoa.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/main-vs-mao