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'Maze' is a network of confusing paths or passages; 'maize' is corn, the cereal crop grown in cobs.
Side-by-side comparison
"Maze" is a labyrinth: an intricate network of paths designed to confuse. Also metaphorically, any confusing or complex system. "A maze of regulations" = confusing rules.
The Hampton Court maze has confused visitors since the 1690s.
She felt lost in a maze of bureaucratic regulations and conflicting advice.
The corn maze at the farm attracted thousands of visitors each autumn.
"Maize" is the cereal crop that grows in yellow cobs, a staple food of the Americas. In American English it is called "corn". These are two completely different words.
Maize is the most widely produced grain in the world by total volume.
She picked fresh maize from the garden and boiled it for dinner.
Maize was first domesticated in Mexico around nine thousand years ago.
Common mistake
"She was lost in a maize of paperwork" when meaning confusion is wrong (correct: maze). "Maize" is the cereal crop (corn). Context always tells them apart.
Trick to remember it
- •"Maze" ends in Z like "puzzling and crazy", mazes confuse.
- •"Maize" has AI like "grain" and "rain", it needs rain to grow, and it is a grain.
Quick rule
- •Is it the network of confusing paths? "Maze".
- •Is it the corn crop? "Maize".
Did you know?
The world's longest hedge maze is in Longleat, England, with over 2.7 km of paths through 16,000 yew trees. Maize was domesticated in Mexico approximately 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte, the original plant was unrecognizable compared to modern ears of corn. The "corn maze", a labyrinth cut into a cornfield, is an autumn tradition in the U.S. and Canada, where farmers create elaborate designs, and it casually combines both words in the pair.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
At the farm, the kids loved running through the giant corn _____ .
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The farmer grew _____ and wheat on his land.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy