maíz

[maˈis]

/[maˈis]/ noun

The verdict

“maíz” has 5 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #4,806. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,806
frequency rank, Spanish
36,142
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - (Zea mays) Planta anual, herbácea, de la familia de las poáceas, originaria de América y hoy cultivada en todo el mundo como alimento. Tiene tallos erectos, en forma de caña, de hasta 3 m de altura...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

maíz vs mi
25% similar
maíz vs más
25% similar
maíz vs mal
50% similar

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

Key facts for maíz
PropertyValue
Headwordmaíz
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[maˈis]
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,806
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maíz” sits in Spanish frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around maíz (IPA [maˈis]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,806 among 36,142 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for maíz, with forms such as "amíz", "mazí", and "maízz". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mi", "más", "mal", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Spanish form is maíz, spelled M-A-Í-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    (Zea mays) Planta anual, herbácea, de la familia de las poáceas, originaria de América y hoy cultivada en todo el mundo como alimento. Tiene tallos erectos, en forma de caña, de hasta 3 m de altura, hojas densamente apretadas que protegen las inflorescencias femeninas y un penacho terminal de flores masculinas. La espádice femenina se transforma en un fruto compuesto llamado mazorca, con los granos dispuestos en hileras sobre un eje leñoso
  2. 2
    Grano o mazorca de maíz₁, empleado como alimento

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amíz
  • mazí
  • maízz
  • mmaíz
  • míaz

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of maíz - 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.

amíz2mazí2maízz1mmaíz1míaz2
Edit distance from "maíz"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "maíz"?
"maíz" is spelled M-A-Í-Z. The IPA pronunciation is [maˈis].
What does "maíz" mean?
As a noun, "maíz" means: (Zea mays) Planta anual, herbácea, de la familia de las poáceas, originaria de América y hoy cultivada en todo el mundo como alimento. Tiene tallos erectos, en forma de caña, de hasta 3 m de altura...
What words are commonly confused with "maíz"?
"maíz" is commonly confused with "mi", "más", "mal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "maíz"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maíz" is [maˈis]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "maíz" come from?
"maíz" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “maíz”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-Í-Z - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [maˈis] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mi” - see the side-by-side comparison. maíz vs mi
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list