Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pay

/peɪ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.40 in modern English

Syllables
pay
IPA
/peɪ/
8
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services.

verb

To deposit into an account.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To discharge, as a debt or other obligation, by giving or doing what is due or required.

verb

To be profitable; to be worth it.

Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

verb

To cover, as a cost.

Intransitive verb

verb

To yield as a benefit.

Transitive verb

verb

To give (something else than money).

Transitive verb

verb

To suffer consequences, especially justly.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /peɪ/
  • British English: /peɪ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

pays (present, singular) paying (participle, present) paid (participle, past) paid (past) payed (obsolete, participle) payed (obsolete, past) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) paid (first person, past) payed (archaic, first person) payest (archaic, present) paid (past, second person)

Derived Forms

copay forepay mispay outpay overpay payable payee payer payment payola payor prepay

Phrases

ability to pay borrow from Peter to pay Paul buy and pay for consent or pay crime doesn't pay devil to pay hell to pay high-paying

Frequently Paired Words

cash on the barrelhead plunk

Synonyms

pay off repay pay out yield return ante up cough up defray do the needful expend foot the bill fork out

Antonyms

buy earn default levant repudiate steal welsh discharge waive

Rhymes With

they way may day say one-way away play today stay re ok

Questions

How do you pronounce pay?
The recorded pronunciation is /peɪ/.
What does pay mean?
To give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services.
Where does pay come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce pay

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pay”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/peɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pay”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pay” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.