Payed vs. Paid
The English language is known for the number of irregular constructions. The verb pay has an irregular past tense form-paid. But, have you ever seen the word payed? Did you know that this form is actually correct in some instances? Let's look a little closer at paid and payed so that you will use these forms with confidence when the occasion arises!
Paid is the irregular past tense of the verb pay. It is used to denote the action of giving money-or another item-in exchange for something.
1. Mr. Harris paid me for mowing his lawn this summer.
2. The cat nearly paid with her life when she was curious about the electric socket.
3. The parents gladly paid for pictures of their children with Santa as part of a school fundraiser.
The word pay actually has another meaning that is only used in relation to ropes or lines. Pay can mean to give slack in the line or rope. When used in this sense, it is okay to use the past tense payed.
1. The professional mountain climbers knew when the line should be payed out and when to hold tight, and we all made it up the mountain safely.
2. The sailor payed the ropes as he worked to move the sails to catch the wind.
Again, payed is only acceptable in this very limited instance. In all other cases, you should use the irregular past tense paid. I hope you have paid attention to this explanation, and you are confident in your usage of these words!
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