Which to use
“maximal” is an adjective and “maxime” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,507
- “maximal” frequency rank
- #5,366
- “maxime” frequency rank
- 19873
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maximal | maxime |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui appartient à un maximum. | Proposition générale qui sert de principe, de fondement, de règle dans un art, dans une science, et particulièrement en matière de politique et de morale. Par exemple, Trajan disait « ces maximes de Zalmoxis » en parlant avec admiration à propos des enseignements du chef spirituel des Daces. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maximal and maxime apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
maximal and maxime form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19873, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maximal is recorded at frequency rank #14,507, classified as anadj, pronounced \mak.si.mal\. maxime is at rank #5,366, tagged as anoun, pronounced \mak.sim\.
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 19873, this pair ranks #371,113 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maximal" and "maxime" be used interchangeably?
Remembering maximal vs maxime
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “maximal”; for a noun, it's “maxime”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maximal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable