Can vs. May — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 27, 2023
"Can" indicates ability or capacity, while "May" suggests permission or possibility.
Difference Between Can and May
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
"Can" is used to express ability or capacity. For example, "I can swim" means the speaker is able to swim. In contrast, "May" is used to request or grant permission, as in "May I leave the room?"
"Can" also denotes the potential to do something. For example, "This can happen to anyone," implies it's possible for anyone. "May," however, often indicates possibility or probability, such as in "It may rain today," suggesting uncertainty.
In questions, "Can" often seeks permission informally, like "Can I use your phone?" whereas "May" is more formal or polite, as in "May I use your phone?"
"Can" is used in casual contexts, reflecting everyday abilities or requests. For instance, "I can drive a car." In contrast, "May" carries a more formal tone, often used in rules or formal requests, e.g., "Students may not use phones during class."
"Can" is also used in offers and suggestions, like "Can I help you?" On the other hand, "May" is rarely used in this context.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Primary Usage
Indicates ability or capacity.
Suggests permission or possibility.
Formality
Generally informal.
More formal or polite.
In Questions
Often seeks permission informally.
Used for formal or polite permissions.
Indication in Statements
Potential or ability to do.
Probability or possibility of occurrence.
Context
Casual, everyday situations.
Formal contexts, rules, or requests.
Compare with Definitions
Can
Ability
I can speak three languages.
May
Permission
May I use your laptop?
Can
Permission (informal)
Can I borrow your pen?
May
Possibility
It may snow tomorrow.
Can
Suggestion
Can we take a break?
May
Probability
Prices may increase next year.
Can
Be able to
He can't afford it
They can run fast
I could hear footsteps
May
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and the third of seven months to have a length of 31 days. May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
Can
Be permitted to
You can use the phone if you want to
Nobody could legally drink on the premises
May
Expressing possibility
That may be true
He may well win
Can
Used to request someone to do something
Can you open the window?
Can't you leave me alone?
May
Used to ask for or to give permission
May I ask a few questions?
You may confirm my identity with your Case Officer, if you wish
Can
Preserve (food) in a can
Sardines and anchovies are worth the extra money if canned in olive oil
May
Expressing a wish or hope
May she rest in peace
Can
Dismiss from a job
He was canned because of a tiff over promotion
May
The fifth month of the year, in the northern hemisphere usually considered the last month of spring
The full system was deployed last May
The new model makes its showroom debut in May
Can
A cylindrical metal container
A can of paint
A petrol can
May
A hawthorn or its blossoms.
Can
Prison
Our friends will get a year or two in the can
May
The fifth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar. See Table at calendar.
Can
The toilet
She walks in and has to use the can
May
The springtime of life; youth.
Can
Headphones.
May
The celebration of May Day.
Can
A woman's breasts.
May
To be strong; to have power (over).
Can
A usually cylindrical metal container.
May
To be able; can.
Can
An airtight container, usually made of tin-coated iron, in which foods or beverages are preserved.
May
To be able to go.
Can
The contents of such a container
Ate a can of beans.
May
To have permission to, be allowed. Used in granting permission and in questions to make polite requests.
You may smoke outside;
May I sit there?
Can
(Slang) A jail or prison.
May
Expressing a present possibility; possibly.
He may be lying;
Schrödinger's cat may or may not be in the box
Can
(Slang) A toilet or restroom.
May
Expressing a wish (with present subjunctive effect).
May you win;
May the weather be sunny
Can
(Slang) The buttocks.
May
Used in modesty, courtesy, or concession, or to soften a question or remark.
Can
(Slang) A naval destroyer.
May
To gather may, or flowers in general.
Can
To seal in an airtight container for future use; preserve
Canning peaches.
May
To celebrate May Day.
Can
(Slang) To make a recording of
Can the audience's applause for a TV comedy show.
May
The hawthorn bush or its blossoms.
Can
To end the employment of; fire.
May
(archaic) A maiden.
Can
To put an end or stop to
Canned the TV show after one season.
Told the students to can the chatter.
May
An auxiliary verb qualifying the meaning of another verb,
How may a man, said he, with idle speech,Be won to spoil the castle of his health!
For what he [the king] may do is of two kinds; what he may do as just, and what he may do as possible.
For of all sad words of tongue or penThe saddest are these: "It might have been."
Can
To solicit cash donations for a charity or other organization such as a club or amateur sports team by holding out a can or other container in a public place.
May
Liberty; permission; allowance.
Thou mayst be no longer steward.
Can
To know how to; to be able to.
She can speak English, French, and German.
I can play football.
Can you remember your fifth birthday?
May
Contingency or liability; possibility or probability.
Though what he learns he speaks, and may advanceSome general maxims, or be right by chance.
Can
May; to be permitted or enabled to.
You can go outside and play when you're finished with your homework.
Can I use your pen?
May
Modesty, courtesy, or concession, or a desire to soften a question or remark.
How old may Phillis be, you ask.
Can
(modal auxiliary verb, defective) To have the potential to; be possible.
Can it be Friday already?
Teenagers can really try their parents' patience.
Animals can experience emotions.
May
Desire or wish, as in prayer, imprecation, benediction, and the like.
Can
Used with verbs of perception.
Can you hear that?.
I can feel the baby moving inside me.
May
A maiden.
Can
To know.
May
The fifth month of the year, containing thirty-one days.
Can
To seal in a can.
They canned air to sell as a novelty to tourists.
May
The early part or springtime of life.
His May of youth, and bloom of lustihood.
Can
To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can.
They spent August canning fruit and vegetables.
May
The flowers of the hawthorn; - so called from their time of blossoming; also, the hawthorn.
The palm and may make country houses gay.
Plumes that mocked the may.
Can
To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.).
He canned the whole project because he thought it would fail.
May
The merrymaking of May Day.
Can
To shut up.
Can your gob.
May
The month following April and preceding June
Can
To fire or dismiss an employee.
The boss canned him for speaking out.
May
Thorny Eurasian shrub of small tree having dense clusters of white to scarlet flowers followed by deep red berries; established as an escape in eastern North America
Can
To hole the ball.
May
Wish or Hope
May you have a great day.
Can
(transitive) To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover.
May
Formal Request
May I have your attention, please?
Can
A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top.
Can
A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can).
Can
A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish.
Can
A chamber pot, now a toilet or lavatory.
Shit or get off the can.
Bob's in the can. You can wait a few minutes or just leave it with me.
Can
Buttocks.
Can
(slang) Jail or prison.
Bob's in the can. He won't be back for a few years.
Can
Headphones.
Can
(archaic) A drinking cup.
Can
(nautical) A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark
Can
A chimney pot.
Can
An E-meter used in Scientology auditing.
Can
An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana.
Can
A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor.
Can
An obs. form of began, imp. & p. p. of Begin, sometimes used in old poetry. [See Gan.]
With gentle words he can faile gree.
Can
A drinking cup; a vessel for holding liquids.
Fill the cup and fill can,Have a rouse before the morn.
Can
A vessel or case of tinned iron or of sheet metal, of various forms, but usually cylindrical; as, a can of tomatoes; an oil can; a milk can.
Can
To preserve by putting in sealed cans
Can
To know; to understand.
I can rimes of Rodin Hood.
I can no Latin, quod she.
Let the priest in surplice white,That defunctive music can.
Can
To be able to do; to have power or influence.
The will of Him who all things can.
For what, alas, can these my single arms?
Mæcænas and Agrippa, who can most with Cæsar.
Can
To be able; - followed by an infinitive without to; as, I can go, but do not wish to.
Yet he could not but acknowledge to himself that there was something calculated to impress awe, . . . in the sudden appearances and vanishings . . . of the masque
Tom felt that this was a rebuff for him, and could not but understand it as a left-handed hit at his employer.
Can
Airtight sealed metal container for food or drink or paint etc.
Can
The quantity contained in a can
Can
A buoy with a round bottom and conical top
Can
The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;
He deserves a good kick in the butt
Are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
Can
A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination
Can
A room equipped with toilet facilities
Can
Preserve in a can or tin;
Tinned foods are not very tasty
Can
Terminate the employment of;
The boss fired his secretary today
The company terminated 25% of its workers
Can
Possibility
Accidents can happen.
Can
Request
Can you help me with this?
Common Curiosities
When do we use "may" in a sentence?
"May" is used for permission, possibility, or formal requests.
Is "can" formal or informal?
"Can" is generally informal.
Can "may" indicate probability?
Yes, e.g., "It may rain."
Is "may" still used in modern English?
Yes, especially in formal contexts.
Is "may" appropriate in casual conversation?
It's more formal; "can" is casual.
Can "can" be used for formal requests?
It's less formal; "may" is preferable.
Can "can" and "may" be used interchangeably?
Not always. "Can" is for ability, while "may" is for permission.
Is "may" used for expressing wishes?
Yes, e.g., "May you be happy."
Does "can" imply certainty?
No, it implies ability or possibility, not certainty.
Does context affect "can" and "may"?
Yes, context influences their usage.
Is "may" only for asking permission?
No, also for possibility and wishes.
Are "can" and "may" interchangeable in questions?
Not always; "may" is more formal.
Does "can" have different meanings?
Yes, including ability and informal permission.
Is "may" polite?
Yes, it's considered polite.
Can "can" be used for offers?
Yes, e.g., "Can I help?"
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Organise vs. Organize
Next Comparison
Baloney vs. BolognaAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
