may

/meɪ/

//meɪ// verb

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

"may" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“may” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #110) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#110
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To be strong; to have power (over).

Corpus desk

Index EN-may · may · English

may · rank #110 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #110
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH should

Nearest frequency peer: should (-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 “may”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “may” 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).

may vs my
67% similar
may vs ME
0% similar
may vs Mr
0% similar

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

Key facts for may
PropertyValue
Headwordmay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/meɪ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#110
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “may” 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).maylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “should” (#109), “here” (#111), “even” (#108). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for may is neighbouring look-alikes ("my", "ME", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /meɪ/. Frequency #110 among 4,057 “M” headwords. 8 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for may in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "my", "ME", "Mr", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-. Cognate with Dutch mag (“may”, first- and third-person singular of mogen (“to be able to, … The correct English form is may, spelled M-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be strong; to have power (over).
  2. 2
    To be able; can.
  3. 3
    To be able to go.
  4. 4
    To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.
  5. 5
    Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.
  6. 6
    Granting the admissibility of a supposition, in a way that can be semantically either subjunctive or indicative.
  7. 7
    Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect).
  8. 8
    Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But many times[…]we give way to passions we may resist and will not.
  2. O weary night, O long and tedious night, Abate thy houres, shine comforts from the East, That I may backe to Athens by day-light […].

Etymology

From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-. Cognate with Dutch mag (“may”, first- and third-person singular of mogen (“to be able to, be allowed to, may”)), Low German mögen, German mag (“like”, first- and third-person singular of mögen (“to like, want, require”)), Swedish må, Icelandic mega, megum. See also might.

This word in other languages

poder(Español)pouvoir(Français)dürfen(Deutsch)poder(Português)

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 "may"?
"may" is spelled M-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /meɪ/.
What does "may" mean?
As a verb, "may" means: To be strong; to have power (over).
What words are commonly confused with "may"?
"may" is commonly confused with "my", "ME", "Mr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "may"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "may" is /meɪ/. 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 "may"?
From Middle English mowen, mayen, moȝen, maȝen, from Old English magan, from Proto-West Germanic *magan, from Proto-Germanic *maganą, from Proto-Indo-European *megʰ-. Cognate with Dutch mag (“may”, first- and third-person singular of mogen (“to be... 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 "may", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

did#114way#101day#120too#121

What to do next

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

  • "may" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "my". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #110 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