Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

paid

/peɪd/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.12 in modern English

Syllables: paid
IPA: /peɪd/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

simple past and past participle of pay

adj

Not free of charge; costing money.

adj

adj

For which pay is given.

adj

Having money (i.e. rich, wealthy, etc.).

Slang

Example Sentences

"paid service"
"paid worker"
"paid holiday"
"I thought his house would be nicer than this. I thought that motherf*cker was paid."

Etymology

From pay + -ed.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: paid, paien

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /peɪd/
British English: /peɪd/

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

payed (alternative, archaic)

Derived Forms

nonpaid postpaid taxpaid underpaid unpaid

Phrases

all expenses paid all-expenses-paid best-paid better-paid bought and paid for high-paid lowest-paid low-paid

Synonyms

nonfree for-pay nonrecreational gainful paying

Homonyms

payed

Antonyms

free gratis

Rhymes With

made home-made played trade grade aid afraid laid stayed decade they'd upgrade

Questions

How do you pronounce paid?: The recorded pronunciation is /peɪd/.
What does paid mean?: simple past and past participle of pay
Where does paid come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce paid

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