May and might: What's the difference?
Learn how to use may and might to talk about possibility and permission.
- check_circleI can use may and might to talk about future possibilities.
- check_circleI can ask for permission politely using may.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
Alice: Do you want to go to the concert on Saturday?
Bob: I’m not sure. I might have to work this weekend. My boss said we may need to finish the report by Monday.
Alice: Oh, that’s a shame. Well, if you don’t work, we might go to the park instead of the concert. The weather forecast says it may be sunny.
Bob: That sounds nice! By the way, may I borrow your umbrella today? It looks like it might rain this afternoon.
Alice: Sure, you may take it. It’s next to the door.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
When we talk about the future, we don’t always know exactly what will happen. Sometimes it’s just a possibility. That’s when we use may and might. They are both modal verbs, which means they are followed by the base form of a verb without “to” (like might go, not might to go).
Possibility
In modern English, may and might are very similar when talking about possibility, and we can often use them interchangeably.
- I might go to the beach tomorrow. (Maybe I will go)
- She may arrive a bit late. (Maybe she will arrive late)
However, there is a small difference in feeling:
- May usually expresses a slightly higher probability (maybe 50%).
- Might usually expresses a slightly lower probability (maybe 30%).
Do not use “to” after may or might!
I might to see him later.- I might see him later.
Negative possibility
To say that something is possibly not going to happen, we add not.
- may not
- might not (or mightn’t, though mightn’t is less common in everyday spoken English).
- It may not rain this afternoon.
- We might not have enough time to finish the project.
Permission: More formal
May is also used to ask for or give permission. It is more formal than using can. We do not use might to ask for permission in modern, everyday English (it sounds extremely old-fashioned).
- May I use your phone? (Formal and polite)
- Yes, you may. / No, you may not.
If you are talking to a friend, you usually just say “Can I use your phone?”. Use “May I…?” in formal situations, like with a boss, a teacher, or a customer.
Here is another useful word when discussing permission or formal situations: permission.
- Possibility: Use may or might + base verb (e.g., might rain).
- Difference: May = slightly more probable; Might = slightly less probable.
- Negatives: Use may not and might not.
- Permission: Use May I…? for formal permission (never use might for permission).
- Rule: Never use “to” after may or might!
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?