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AbbreviationsCapitalizationCompound Words: Everything You Need to KnowContractionsSpellingWhat is the difference between 'may' and 'my'?

The words may and my are often confused because they appear similar. In this article, we explain the difference between them.
May means expressing possibility or permission when used as an auxiliary verb.
My means the first-person possessive adjective when used as a pronoun.
A good way to remember the difference is You MAY have MY cookie.
Out of the two words, 'may' is the most common.
It's easy to mistype words that have similar spellings.
My is a pronoun. It is the first-person possessive adjective pronoun and always has a noun after it.
May is an auxiliary verb that means "expressing possibility or permission." If you capitalize it, it becomes the noun May which is the fifth month of the year.
What's the right phrase ', it may be' or ', it my be'?
The correct expression is ', it may be'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.
Should I use 'may be able to' or 'my be able to'?
The right phrase is 'may be able to'. These phrases are often confused because they look similar.
Which is right 'may or may not' or 'my or my not'?
The right expression is 'may or may not'. These phrases are often confused because they look similar.
Is the expression 'may or may not' or 'my or my not'?
You should use 'may or may not'. These phrases are often confused because they are easy to mistype.
Should it be ', which may be' or ', which my be'?
You should use ', which may be'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.
Is the correct expression 'made up my mind' or 'made up may mind'?
The right expression is 'made up my mind'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.
Is the correct phrase ', my dear ,' or ', may dear ,'?
The right expression is ', my dear ,'. These phrases are often confused because they appear similar.
Which is correct ', in my opinion' or ', in may opinion'?
The correct phrase is ', in my opinion'. These phrases are often confused because they appear similar.
Should it be 'in my opinion ,' or 'in may opinion ,'?
The correct phrase is 'in my opinion ,'. These phrases are often confused because they are easy to mistype.
Which is correct 'of my life .' or 'of may life .'?
The correct phrase is 'of my life .'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.
Some synonyms of may are: english hawthorn, haw, gregorian calendar month, whitethorn, hawthorn.
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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary.
Examples of may in a sentence
But I think Waldo may be rather more realistic.- Weighed in the balance by Anne Perry
She may have called herself Ouskaya, but that didn’t hide her true nature.- The Haunted Air by F. Paul Wilson
How may we help you?- Nothing gold can stay by Dana Stabenow
And if he can't get to Cassie, he may just come up with the notion to get to her through them.- The heart of Devin MacKade by Nora Roberts
His brother claimed not to remember anything about April, which may have been the truth.- In the night room: a novel by Peter Straub
Examples of my in a sentence
My life closed twice before its close;- The collected poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson; Rachel Wetzsteon
It was my boss's idea to call you in.”- Beyond belief by Roy Johansen
My men will bring you your evening meal in a little while.- Demon Lord of Karanda by David Eddings
My thanks to Dennis Lopez, for teaching me the difference between boy trucks and girl trucks.- Nothing gold can stay by Dana Stabenow
I wanted to write, and just tell you that me and my spirit were fighting this morning.- In the night room: a novel by Peter Straub