maintain

/meɪnˈteɪn/

//meɪnˈteɪn// verb

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

"maintain" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“maintain” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,260. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,260
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).

Corpus desk

Index EN-maintain · maintain · English

maintain · rank #2,260 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,260
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH leads

Nearest frequency peer: leads (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “maintain”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “maintain” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

maintain vs mountain
75% similar
maintain vs maintained
80% similar

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

Key facts for maintain
PropertyValue
Headwordmaintain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/meɪnˈteɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#2,260
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maintain” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).maintain lands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around maintain (IPA /meɪnˈteɪn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #2,260 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for maintain, with forms such as "amintain", "mainatin", and "mainntain". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "mountain", "maintained", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mayntenen, from Old French maintenir, from Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with/in/by the hand”, ablative of manus) + tenēre (“to hold”). The correct English form is maintain, spelled M-A-I-N-T-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).
  2. 2
    To declare or affirm (a clause) to be true; to assert.
  3. 3
    To keep in good condition and working order.
  4. 4
    To support (someone), to back up or assist (someone) in an action.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. maintain contact
  2. maintain order

Etymology

From Middle English mayntenen, from Old French maintenir, from Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with/in/by the hand”, ablative of manus) + tenēre (“to hold”).

Antonyms

abandon

This word in other languages

mantener(Español)entretenir(Français)unterhalten(Deutsch)manter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amintain
  • mainatin
  • mainntain
  • maintainn
  • maintani
  • maintian
  • mainttain
  • maitnain
  • manitain
  • miantain
  • mmaintain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of maintain - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amintain2mainatin2mainntain1maintainn1maintani2maintian2mainttain1maitnain2
Edit distance from "maintain"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "maintain"?
"maintain" is spelled M-A-I-N-T-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /meɪnˈteɪn/.
What does "maintain" mean?
As a verb, "maintain" means: To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.).
What words are commonly confused with "maintain"?
"maintain" is commonly confused with "mountain", "maintained". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "maintain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maintain" is /meɪnˈteɪn/. 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 "maintain"?
From Middle English mayntenen, from Old French maintenir, from Late Latin manūteneō, manūtenēre (“I support”), from Latin manū (“with/in/by the hand”, ablative of manus) + tenēre (“to hold”). 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 "maintain", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

numerous#2,263identity#2,255revealed#2,268affected#2,277

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

kitchen11 variantsfinance11 variantschapter11 variantsadvance11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "maintain". Here's where to go from here.

  • "maintain" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "mountain". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,260 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list