Maybe or May be – What is the difference?

Maybe you are wrong.

It may be true.

▶ Maybe = perhaps

maybe is an adverb, meaning perhaps or possibly.

Maybe is an adverb that means perhaps.

✔ Maybe it will stop raining soon. = Perhaps it will stop raining soon.

✔ A: I thought Suzy would be here by now. B: Maybe she forgot.

▶ May be = is possibly

may be is a verbal construction, formed of the modal verb may and the verb be, which can be used in sentences like “he may be in the office today”. Note that, if you were to rewrite this sentence with maybe, you would say “maybe he is in the office today”. Because maybe is an adverb, you need to add a verb to the sentence (is, a form of be, in that case).

May is a modal verb which indicates possibility.

✔ He may be lost = It is possible that he is lost

✔ This may be the best website = This is possibly the best website