Which to use
“mair” and “max” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,249
- “mair” frequency rank
- #2,222
- “max” frequency rank
- 45471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mair | max |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | more | Maximum; maximal. |
Where the eye mixes mair and max
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mair with max
A purely visual mix-up. mair (/mɛə/) and max (/mæks/) 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 45471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mair is recorded at frequency rank #43,249, classified as anadj, pronounced /mɛə/. max is at rank #2,222, tagged as anadj, pronounced /mæks/.
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 45471, this pair ranks #220,979 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mair vs max
Shared letters: am. Private to "mair": ir. Private to "max": x.
"mair" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "max" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mair ← mairr · mmair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mair" and "max" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mair" or "max"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mair" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "max" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #220,979 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mair" and "max" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mair 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 #220,979 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.