Paid vs. Payed
“Paid” is the ordinary past tense and past participle of “pay.” “Payed” is a real but specialized form used in limited senses such as certain nautical or rope-related uses.
Use “paid” in ordinary English. Reserve “payed” for its specialized dictionary senses.
Key details
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “paid” for the ordinary past tense and past participle of “pay,” including money, attention, respect, and figurative costs. “Payed” survives in specialized senses associated with rope or waterproofing.
Usage Boundary
Do not replace ordinary “paid” with “payed” merely because many verbs form the past tense with -ed; the specialized spelling has a much narrower lexical use.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Pay — Merriam-Webster Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Dictionary evidence for “paid” as the ordinary past form of pay and specialized “payed” senses.