May be one word

You may be confused about the difference between maybe and may be. Or maybe you’re not. Either way, one space can make the difference between a verb meaning “might be” and an adverb meaning “possibly” or “perhaps.”

In this article, we’ll break down why that space matters so much, and we’ll give you some examples to show exactly what the difference is, as well as tips and tricks for remembering when to use each one.

⚡Quick summary

Maybe is an adverb meaning “perhaps.” May be is a verb phrase that generally means the same thing as “might be.”

What does maybe mean?

Maybe means “possibly” or “perhaps.” It often functions as an adverb, which in grammatical terms is a word that modifies (describes) a verb (among other functions). Maybe is commonly used to describe the probability of an action happening or not happening—maybe means it might or it might not happen. In other cases, it just means “perhaps.” These senses of maybe can be used anywhere in a sentence—the beginning, middle, or end. Maybe I’ll join you after all. Do you think maybe we could go home early? This tastes like an apple, or a pear, maybe.

Other senses of the word can stand on their own as an answer to a question. Maybe is famously used as a middle ground between yes and no. If you’re not definitely sure that something is a yes or a no, you can say maybe. Do you want to go to the dance with me? Maybe. It’s usually the same as answering a question with possibly or perhaps. Will it rain later? Maybe.

This sense of the word has led to its informal use as a noun meaning “an answer of maybe,” as in It’s not a yes but it’s a maybe, so at least it’s not a no.

What does may be mean?

May be isn’t a single word, nor is it used like one—it’s two separate words used together. Like maybe, it expresses uncertainty, but unlike maybe, it functions as a verb.

It’s essentially the same as might be, and it used to indicate that something is uncertain but has a chance of being true (He may be who he says he is) or being what happens (You may be asked to help).

Sometimes, it can be used to express comparison, as in You may be the top earning employee, but I’m the boss or That may be true, but it’s unkind.

In many cases, you can reword a sentence to use may be instead of maybe, and vice versa. For example, instead of saying That may be true, you could say Maybe that’s true.

It’s no coincidence that may be and maybe are used in such similar ways—maybe derives from squishing together may be.

Two words that shouldn’t be squished together are “a lot.” Do you know the difference between a lot, allot … and alot?

What is the difference between maybe and may be?

Remember, maybe is an adverb, and it’s used alongside verbs or as a standalone answer to a question. May be functions as a verb.

If you can replace the term with possibly or perhaps, use maybe. If you can replace the term with might be, use may be.

Examples of maybe and may be used in a sentence

Check out these example sentences that will help you remember when to use maybe and when to use may be.

• Yes, we’re losing money, but maybe sales will rally in the fourth quarter.
• We may be losing money, but we’re not going to quit yet.
• I should go check the faucet—it may be dripping again.
• I should go check the faucet—maybe it’s dripping again.
• It may be about to rain, but maybe it will pass us by.

Take the Quiz: Do you know when to use maybe and may be?

If you’re feeling certain about using maybe and may be, head over to our quiz on this confusing pair.

A compound word is two or more words combined to form a new word. There are many compound words in English, like windmill, strawberry, granddaughter, and maybe.

Maybe also has a near homophone in the phrase may be. Since, in this case, the words are kept separate, it is no longer a compound word. May be is actually a verb phrase.

Is the compound word maybe and the phrase may be ever interchangeable? Continue reading to find out.

What is the Difference Between Maybe and May Be?

In this article, I will discuss the difference between these two: maybe vs. may be. I will give an example of each in a correct sentence. Plus, I will reveal a useful trick to use when you can’t decide whether may be or maybe is appropriate.

When to Use Maybe

What does maybe mean? Maybe is an adverb that indicates possibility. It is therefore a synonym of the adverbs possibly and perhaps.

For example,

• “Maybe later on, you and I can go swimming together down at the holler,” Susanna offered.
• “Maybe,” Tom replied, “but Pa needs me to put the cows out to pasture first.”
• Maybe what you can go online and get tomorrow. (Told you some things had changed.) Maybe what you could buy your partner (ditto). Maybe what to put on a wish list. –The New York Times

When to Use May Be

What does may be mean? May be also indicates possibility, but it is a verb phrase, rather than an adverb.

May be consists of the verbs may and be, which are separate words here, and which refer to something that could happen or a state of affairs that might exist.

For example,

• I may be young, but I am wise beyond my years.
• Mia may be going to the beach today, but only if she doesn’t have to drive herself.
• Rapidly melting Greenland may be shedding its ice even faster than anyone suspected, new research suggests. –The Washington Post

Trick to Remember the Difference

Still confused? Here is a helpful trick to remember may be vs. maybe

May be and maybe are two different parts of speech, and they can’t be substituted for each other.

• May be is a verb phrase.
• Maybe is an adverb.

In the chart below, I isolated the usage of may be and maybe as verbs by graphing usage of the phrases “maybe true” and “may be true” using Google Ngrams.

As you can see, maybe is never used as a verb. This chart references books written in English since 1800, so it’s not compete or scientific, but it’s accurate enough to identify long-term usage patterns.

You can remember to only use the phrase may be as a verb since it contains two separate verbs. By looking at the parts of speech contained in this phrase, it will be easy to know how to use it in a sentence.

Summary

Is it maybe or may be? While these words contain all of the same letters, they do function as different parts of speech, and they cannot be substituted for each other.

• Maybe is an adverb that means possibly or perhaps.
• May be is a verb phrase that indicates something that might happen or a potential state of affairs.

Since the verb phrase may be contains two separate verbs, you will always remember not to use it as an adverb. Likewise, maybe is only ever an adverb, and never a verb.

If you are still confused, you can always refer back to this article to help you remember, and for guidance on whether maybe or may be is the word you want to use.

In a comment to a previous post I was asked to write about the difference between the words: “maybe” and “may be.”  That is what I am going to do today!

To begin with let’s talk about the different parts of speech that these two words represent: “maybe” (one word) is an adverb and “may be” (two words) is a verb phrase.

The word “maybe” has the same meaning as the word “perhaps” or “possibly.”  These three words are synonyms.  Therefore “perhaps” and “possibly” are words that can easily be substituted for the word “maybe” in a sentence.

Here are some example sentences using the word “maybe” and explanations:

Maybe we are all going the wrong direction. = Perhaps we are all going the wrong direction.
Maybe, I’m not sure yet. = Probably, I don’t know yet.

The words “may be” represent a verb phrase in which the modal verb ‘may’ expresses possibility and sometimes suggests permission.

Jaime may be here.  = It is possible that Jaime is here.
This may be the best ESL blog ever. = This is possibly the best ESL blog ever.
You may be allowed to enter. = You may have permission to go in.

In a sentence after the verb phrase “may be” you will usually find an adjective, a noun, or a verb ending in -ing.
She may be German. (may be + adjective)
She may be a magician. (may be + article + noun)
She may be working too much. (may be + verb ending in -ing)

So, how are you going to remember the difference between these words.  Here are some tricks:

“Maybe” and the word “adverb” are each one word, so they go together.

“May be” and “verb phrase” and each two words, so they go together.

Also, if you are unsure if you should use the word “maybe” or the phrase “may be,” in a sentences you can see if the word “perhaps” fits in the sentence instead.  If you can put the word “perhaps” into a sentence and it still makes sense then you should be using the word “maybe” in that same sentence.

Maybe you have some other hints or ideas about how to tell these two words apart, if so please share them with us all in the comments on this post.

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