maridovsmáximoTell them apart

Quick tell: marido is a noun, máximo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“marido” is a noun and “máximo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,122
“marido” frequency rank
#1,517
“máximo” frequency rank
3639
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature marido máximo
Definition Hombre casado respecto de su esposa. Superlativo irregular de grande: sumamente grande.

Where the eye mixes marido and máximo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

6 ch
marido
6 ch
máximo

Why the eye confuses marido with máximo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: marido is [maˈɾið̞o] while máximo is [ˈmaksimo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3639, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

marido is recorded at frequency rank #2,122, classified as anoun, pronounced [maˈɾið̞o]. máximo is at rank #1,517, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmaksimo].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 3639, this pair ranks #317,886 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of marido vs máximo

Shared letters: imo. Private to "marido": adr. Private to "máximo": .

"marido" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "máximo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maridoamrido · mairdo · mardio · mariddo · mariod · marrido · mmarido · mraido

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "marido" and "máximo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "marido" is a noun and "máximo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "marido" vs "máximo" - which ranks higher?
"máximo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,517 in our Spanish list, against #2,122 for "marido". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "marido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "máximo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #317,886 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "marido" and "máximo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mamado vs marido". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #317,886 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list