amaze

/əˈmeɪz/

//əˈmeɪz// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"amaze" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“amaze” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,572. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,572
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To fill (someone) with surprise and wonder; to astonish, to astound, to surprise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amaze · amaze · English

amaze · rank #22,572 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,572
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH algebraic

Nearest frequency peer: algebraic (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “amaze”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “amaze” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

amaze vs AmE
20% similar
amaze vs aware
60% similar
amaze vs awake
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for amaze
PropertyValue
Headwordamaze
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈmeɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#22,572
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “amaze”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).amazelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “algebraic” (#22,571), “Alfonso” (#22,570), “Alessandro” (#22,569). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amaze” is #22,572. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around amaze (IPA /əˈmeɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,572 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for amaze, with forms such as "aamze", "amaez", and "amazze". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "AmE", "aware", "awake", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is derived from Middle English *amasen, *amase (“to bewilder, perplex”) (attested chiefly in the past participle form, and thus often difficult to distinguish from amased (adjective)), from Old English āmasian (“to confuse, astonish”), from ā- (per… The correct English form is amaze, spelled A-M-A-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To fill (someone) with surprise and wonder; to astonish, to astound, to surprise.
  2. 2
    To stun or stupefy (someone).
  3. 3
    To bewilder or perplex (someone or oneself).
  4. 4
    To fill (someone) with panic; to panic, to terrify.
  5. 5
    To experience amazement; to be astounded.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how amaze appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He was amazed when he found that the girl was a robot.
  2. And all the people were amazed, and ſaid, Is this the ſonne of Dauid?

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English *amasen, *amase (“to bewilder, perplex”) (attested chiefly in the past participle form, and thus often difficult to distinguish from amased (adjective)), from Old English āmasian (“to confuse, astonish”), from ā- (perfective prefix) + *masian (“to confound, confuse, perplex; to amaze”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- (“to beckon, signal”)). The English word is analysable as a- (intensifying prefix) + maze (“(archaic) to astonish, amaze, bewilder; to daze, stupefy”). The noun is derived from Late Middle English amase, from the verb: see above.

Synonyms

amazeastonishastoundbewitchsurprisewow

This word in other languages

pasmar(Español)stupéfier(Français)verwundern(Deutsch)surpreender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aamze
  • amaez
  • amazze
  • ammaze
  • amzae
  • maaze

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of amaze - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aamze2amaez2amazze1ammaze1amzae2maaze2
Edit distance from "amaze"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "amaze"?
"amaze" is spelled A-M-A-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈmeɪz/.
What does "amaze" mean?
As a verb, "amaze" means: To fill (someone) with surprise and wonder; to astonish, to astound, to surprise.
What words are commonly confused with "amaze"?
"amaze" is commonly confused with "AmE", "aware", "awake". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "amaze"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amaze" is /əˈmeɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "amaze"?
The verb is derived from Middle English *amasen, *amase (“to bewilder, perplex”) (attested chiefly in the past participle form, and thus often difficult to distinguish from amased (adjective)), from Old English āmasian (“to confuse, astonish”), fr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "amaze", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Bragg#22,592whoop#22,551waged#22,546chute#22,614

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

cabs6 variantscert6 variantsThom6 variantstelly6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list