# maze

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmeɪz/ · frequency rank #12,102

## Definitions
1. A labyrinth; a puzzle consisting of a complicated network of paths or passages, the aim of which is to find one's way through.
2. Something made up of many confused or conflicting elements; a tangle.
3. Confusion of thought; state of bewilderment.

## Etymology
From Middle English mase, from Middle English masen (“to perplex, bewilder”); or perhaps from Old English *mæs (“delusion, bewilderment”); akin to Old English āmasian (“to perplex, confound”), Icelandic masa (“to chatter”). More at amaze.

## Easily confused with
- **ME** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-me)
- **moe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-moe)
- **mee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mee)
- **Mme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mme)
- **MBE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mbe)
- **miz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-miz)
- **Moz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-moz)
- **Mie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mie)
- **more** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-more)
- **move** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-move)
- **mine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mine)
- **mike** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mike)
- **mode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mode)
- **mile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mile)
- **mere** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mere)
- **mice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mice)
- **meme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-meme)
- **mole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mole)
- **mute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-mute)
- **muse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maze-vs-muse)

## Common misspellings (5)
`amze`, `maez`, `mazze`, `mmaze`, `mzae`

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