Which to use
“maia” is an adjective and “máxima” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,341
- “maia” frequency rank
- #3,092
- “máxima” frequency rank
- 6433
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maia | máxima |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | relativo a maia ou aos maias | a expressão de uma verdade ou princípio geral, especialmente uma com tom moral ou aforístico |
Where the eye mixes maia and máxima
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: maia vs máxima
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: maia is /ˈmaj.ɐ/ while máxima is /ˈma.si.mɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 6433, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maia is recorded at frequency rank #3,341, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmaj.ɐ/. máxima is at rank #3,092, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.si.mɐ/.
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 6433, this pair ranks #68,005 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maia vs máxima
Shared letters: aim. Private to "maia": -. Private to "máxima": xá.
"maia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "máxima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- maia ← amia · maai · miaa · mmaia
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maia" and "máxima" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "maia" vs "máxima" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "máxima" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,005 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maia" and "máxima" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs maia". 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 #68,005 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.