Payed vs. Paid | Definition, Difference & Examples
Payed and paid are pronounced similarly but have different meanings.
- Payed is a rare word that’s only used in nautical/maritime contexts. It can be used to refer to the act of coating parts of a boat with waterproof material or to the act of letting out a rope or chain by slackening it.
- Paid is the much more common word, used as the past tense of the verb “pay” in all other senses.
| Examples: Payed in a sentence | Examples: Paid in a sentence |
|---|---|
| The sailors payed the front of the boat with tar to seal the gaps. | We paid more for the meal than we had expected. |
| Liam untied the knot and payed out the rope to Bill. | Sophia gets paid at the beginning of each month. |
Uses of paid
Paid is the past tense form of “pay.” It’s used to refer to the act of exchanging money for goods or services. As an irregular verb, “pay” does not receive the regular “-ed” suffix.
If you don’t finish the job, you won’t get paid.
Paid can also be used to refer to something you give in atonement or for recompense.
He was a pirate and paid with his life.
Paid can also be used as an adjective to describe something for which money has already been given. In some instances, it can be used to refer to something for which money is expected to be given.
It is not a volunteer position. It’s a paid position.
Uses of payed
Payed is the past tense of a much rarer sense of “pay,” which refers to the act of coating the different parts of a boat with waterproof material (e.g., tar, paint, and grease).
It’s also used in combination with “out” as the past tense of the phrasal verb “pay out,” meaning to let out a rope or chain by slackening it.
Paid attention vs. payed attention
Paid attention is the past tense of “pay attention,” a common expression that means to focus on (or take notice of) someone or something. “Payed attention” is never correct.
Payed off or paid off
Paid off is the past tense of “pay off,” a common expression that can refer to paying a debt in full. It can also be used to describe something as being worth the effort because it has yielded good results. “Payed off” is not correct in either sense.
Sophie’s hard work paid off when she won the race.
Worksheet: Payed vs. paid
Test your knowledge of the difference between “payed” and “paid” by using our practice worksheet below. Fill in either “payed” or “paid” in each sentence.
- You can use the ______ parking in the parking garage, or you can park your car on the street for free.
- Malcolm accidentally ______ for someone else’s meal.
- The captain ordered that the bottom of the boat be ______ with tar before the next journey.
- The passengers ______ attention to the flight attendant during the safety demonstration.
- Karl’s hard work ______ off when he was promoted to manager.
- You can use the paid parking in the parking garage, or you can park your car on the street for free.
- Here, “paid” is used as an adjective to describe something for which money is expected to be given.
- Malcolm accidentally paid for someone else’s meal.
- Here, “paid” is used as a verb to refer to the act of exchanging money for goods or services.
- The captain ordered that the bottom of the boat be payed with tar before the next journey.
- Though it is a rare term, “payed” is correct when you’re referring to the act of coating parts of a boat with waterproof material (e.g., tar, paint, and grease).
- The passengers paid attention to the flight attendant during the safety demonstration.
- Here, “paid” is used to complete the expression “paid attention,” meaning “focused.”
- Karl’s hard work paid off when he was promoted to manager.
- Here, “paid” is used to complete the expression “paid off.” In this instance, it is used to describe something as yielding good results.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
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Sources in this article
We strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below.
This Scribbr articleRyan, E. (October 10, 2022). Payed vs. Paid | Definition, Difference & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.scribbr.com/commonly-confused-words/payed-vs-paid/
