Maybe, perhaps and possibly are almost synonymous. However, there is a little difference for each context of each word.

 

With the word maybe, we can say that this word is not formal that is used evveryday language. E.g: Maybe we'll skip school today. or "Are you going to Anna's party?" " Hmmm... maybe."

 

 

With "Perhaps", we can say that this is a more polte word, neither formal nor vulgar. This a neutral way of expressing what is likely to happen. E.g: "There were 200, perhaps 250, people at the theatre" or "Perhaps we should start again".

And "possibly", we can say that it is more formal than the two above words, especially it is often used in agreement or disagreement. For example, to answer the question "Do you think he will apply for the job?", we can say "Hmm. Possibly, possibly not" or "He may possibly decide to apply for the job".

In short, generally, not in all cases, there is a difference when using "maybe" is informal, not formal, and "perhaps" is more neutral, neither formal nor informal, and "possibly" is a bit more formal.

 

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