Some words in the English dictionary doesn’t follow the standard form of adding a suffix to the end of the root word to get the “root word + suffix”. Some of these words change totally in spelling when a suffix is added, an example is in Maintenance and Maintainance.
Even as I write this article, my laptop’s autocorrect shows a red line under the “Maintainance,” stating that it’s incorrect and should be corrected. The two words come from a verb “Maintain,” but it totally changes to something new in forming a noun.
In this article, I will explain these two words and help you understand the difference between them.
Maintenance vs. Maintainance
Maintenance definition:
Maintenance has to do with the work put in place to keep a subject or an object running. In the context of a machine, these activities help the machine to function regularly without having issues in the long run.
Maintenance can come in different forms like Car, house, etc. Virtually everything requires maintenance to stay put.
Examples:
- Of all the processes in SDLC, the most expensive is the maintenance stage.
- The cost of maintenance of a flashy car drives me crazy at times.
- Most times, ladies go broke because of their high cost of maintenance when it comes to appearance.
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Maintenance vs. Maintainance
Meaning of Maintainance:
Maintainance is a misspelling of the ideal word. This is as a result of following the regular pattern of adding a suffix to the root word “Maintain”. The root word gives rise to words like maintained (maintain + ed), maintainer (maintain + er), maintainability (maintain + ability), and maintainable (maintain + able).
The irregular pattern of some English words makes us understand that instead of writing Maintainance as (maintain + anace), it is right as (mainte + nance).
Examples:
- Maintainance is the wrong way of spelling the noun form of maintain.
- The maintainance process is the toughest. (incorrect)
FAQs on “Maintainance” vs. “Maintenance”
The correct spelling is “Maintenance.”
“Maintenance” refers to preserving, keeping, or upholding something in a particular condition, whether it’s machinery, property, or even health.
“Maintainance” is a common misspelling of “Maintenance.” It likely arises because of the verb form, “maintain,” confusing.
No, “Maintainance” is always a misspelling. Always use “Maintenance” to refer to the act of maintaining.
Final tips:
The best way to get the most out of changes in the English language is to always check the ideal spelling of a word in a dictionary before usage.
Awesome one, I hope this article answered your question.
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