Which to use
“mad” is an adjective and “maid” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,833
- “mad” frequency rank
- #49,778
- “maid” frequency rank
- 63611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mad | maid |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fou. | Servant·e, bonne, soubrette, généralement une femme. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mad and maid apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mad is \mæd\ while maid is \med\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mad is recorded at frequency rank #13,833, classified as anadj, pronounced \mæd\. maid is at rank #49,778, tagged as anoun, pronounced \med\.
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 63611, this pair ranks #81,116 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mad vs maid
Shared letters: adm. Private to "mad": -. Private to "maid": i.
"mad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "maid" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- maid ← amid · madi · maidd · miad · mmaid
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mad" and "maid" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mad" or "maid"?
Remembering mad vs maid
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mad”; for a noun, it's “maid”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable