Word Confusion: May versus Might

Posted May 19, 2016 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
8 July 2023

Traditionally, the verbs may and might are present and past tense, and they are increasingly being used interchangeably for casual use.

I may have some dessert after dinner, if I’m still hungry.

I might have known that the highway would be closed because of the storm.

Understanding this difference between traditional and casual can be useful when showing a character’s background, class, or educational level.

You may want to explore “Can versus May“, “Might’a not be a Could’a, Would’a, Should’a“, “Might versus Mite“, and/or “May Be versus Maybe“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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May Might

Black-and-white image of men and women holding the ribbons that connect to the top of a May Pole

May Day with People Around the May Pole, 1920, from the OSU Special Collections & Archives: Commons has no restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons.


Amphibious trac coming out of an LST H-45 minute on D-Day. They are about to land on Peleliu. September 1944.

Amphibious Trac Coming Out of an LST on Peleliu Beach courtesy of W.wolny is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Allied might be about to land on Peleliu Beach on D-Day.

Part of Grammar:
Noun 1, 2; Proper Noun 3;
Verb, intransitive 2;
Modal Verb 4

Plural for the noun: mays

Third person present verb (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Present Singular and Plural): may
Past tense: might
Past participle: N/A
Present participle: N/A

Noun 1;
Modal Verb 2

Plural for the noun: might

Third person present verb : may
Past tense (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Past Singular and Plural): might
Past participle: N/A
Present participle: N/A

Noun:
[British] Hawthorn tree 1

[British] Hawthorn blossom

[Archaic] A maiden 2

Proper Noun:
Fifth month of the year (usually considered the last month of spring in the northern hemisphere) 3

[Literally; usually, one’s May] One’s bloom or prime

May Day festivities

Given name of a female

Verb, intransitive:
To gather flowers in the spring 2

Verb, Modal:
Express possibility 4

  • Used when admitting that something is so before making another, more important point

Express permission

Express a wish or hope

[Archaic] Mayest

[Archaic] Mayst

Express contingency, especially in clauses indicating condition, concession, purpose, result, etc.

[Archaic] Express ability or power

Noun:
Great and impressive power or strength, especially of a nation, large organization, or natural force 1

  • Physical strength

Verb, modal:
As the past tense of may, it is especially used 2:

  • In reported speech, expressing possibility or permission
  • Expressing a possibility based on a condition not fulfilled
  • Expressing annoyance about something that someone has not done
  • Expressing purpose

Used in questions and requests

  • Tentatively asking permission
  • Expressing a polite request
  • Asking for information, especially condescendingly

Used to express possibility or make a suggestion

Examples:
Noun:
The mays are blooming.

The may blossoms are coming out.

The maypole is up.

Proper Noun:
The new model makes its showroom debut in May.

It was a miserable May morning, overcast and raining.

The others murmured that their May was passing.

Come celebrate May Day with us.

Verb, intransitive:
When we were maying . . .

Verb, Modal:
Be that as it may, I still believe that . . .

We may as well get on with it.

That may be true.

He may well win.

They may have been old-fashioned, but they were excellent teachers.

You may use a sling if you wish.

May I ask a few questions?

May she rest in peace.

We may as well enter, as it won’t get any easier.

I may be wrong but I think you would be wise to go.

Times may change but human nature stays the same.

May you live to an old age.

We’ll have to live with it, come what may.

Noun:
It was a convincing display of military might.

“Might is right” is a poor philosophy to embrace.

He lifted with all his might.

With might and main, we shall overcome our enemy.

Verb, modal:
You might just as well get it over with.

Ah, geez, I might have known you did it.

They said he might be late.

We might have won if we’d played better.

You might have told me!

She avoided social engagements so that she might work.

Might I ask one question?

You might just call me Jane, if you don’t mind.

And who might you be?

This might be true.

You might try melatonin to help you sleep.

Derivatives:
Adverb: maybe, mayhap
Contraction: mayn’t, may’ve
Exclamation: Mayday
Noun: a-maying, maybe, Mayday, Maytime, maying, maypole
Verb: mayest
Adjective: mightier, mightiest, mightless, mighty
Adverb: mightily
Contraction: mightn’t, might’ve
Noun: might-have-been, mightiness
History of the Word:
  1. Late Middle English from the proper noun, May.
  2. From Old English mæg is related to the Old High German māg meaning kinsman, which is from the Old Norse māgr meaning a relative by marriage.
  3. Late Old English from the Old French mai, which is from the Latin short for Maius mēnsis meaning Maia’s month.
  4. From Old English mæg is of Germanic origin, from a base meaning have power and related to the Dutch mogen and the German mögen.
  1. From Old English miht or mieht is of Germanic origin.
  2. From Old English mæg is of Germanic origin, from a base meaning have power and related to the Dutch mogen and the German mögen (the same as May #4).

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for May versus Might

Apple Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com: may

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Maypole Dancing, Ickwell Green, Bedfordshire, by Nick MacNeill is under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, via Geograph.uk.org. Young Bull is in the public domain, via Pxfuel.

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