Payed

/peɪd/ verb

Definition

Non-standard past tense of 'pay'; the correct form is 'paid.' Sometimes used in nautical contexts meaning to seal ship seams with tar.

Etymology

Confusion between 'pay' (give money) with past tense 'paid,' and nautical 'pay' (seal with tar) with past tense 'payed.' The nautical sense comes from Old French peier 'to appease,' later 'to caulk.'

Kelly Says

This is one of English's most common spelling errors, but 'payed' is actually correct in one specific context - nautical caulking. Most people who write 'payed' don't know about ships, they're just confused by irregular verb patterns.

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