# amaze

> English word · Verb · IPA /əˈmeɪz/ · frequency rank #22,572

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **AmE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-ame)
- **aware** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-aware)
- **awake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-awake)
- **ample** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-ample)
- **amuse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-amuse)
- **amine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-amine)
- **Amazon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-amazon)
- **amazed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-amazed)
- **amazes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amaze-vs-amazes)
- **ama** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ama-vs-amaze)
- **Amar** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amar-vs-amaze)
- **Amal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amal-vs-amaze)
- **adage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/adage-vs-amaze)
- **agate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agate-vs-amaze)
- **amass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amass-vs-amaze)
- **agave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agave-vs-amaze)
- **abate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abate-vs-amaze)
- **Amato** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amato-vs-amaze)
- **agape** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agape-vs-amaze)
- **Amara** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/amara-vs-amaze)

## Common misspellings (6)
`aamze`, `amaez`, `amazze`, `ammaze`, `amzae`, `maaze`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/amaze