Note 283 – There’s no such word as layed

Image via Wikipedia

I had to revisit one of my previous notes today: Note 237 – Do you lay or lie on the settee? to check the past tense of the word lay which is laid and NOT layed, for example, ‘I laid the information out concisely’. 

I felt like it was an important point to note that there is no such word is layed (I might even be guilty of writing it like that myself in the past!).  I’ve also seen layed written on the captions of images that I almost selected to attach to the post today.  So, to recap on my previous note:

The past tense of lie (as in to lie on the bed) is lay, for example,

• I lay on the bed (correct)
• I layed on the bed (incorrect)

The past tense of lay (as in to lay an egg) is laid e.g.

• The hen laid six eggs (correct)
• The hen layed six eggs (incorrect)

Details of other tenses of lie and lay are in Note 237.

Related forums…

Question on Wiki Answers:  What is the correct spelling laid out or layed out? – 

Response: There’s no such word as ‘layed’, the answer is ‘laid out’.

Question on Word Reference.com: Is is “laid off” or “layed off” from a job? –

Response: There are mixed answers on this site.  Although there are some interesting conversations as to whether the word layed can actually be used in place of laid, the word layed appears to be incorrect. One site reader responded as follows: “The questioner should probably be advised to use ‘laid’ rather than ‘layed’, but with the understanding that this is more of a convention than a hard and fast rule. Dictionary definitions are not a substitute for general literacy”.  One person even said “if it is clearly understood by a casual reading of the word, then what difference does it make?”

My thoughts:  I’m going to stick to the correct spelling of laid.

So, what are your thoughts on ‘there’s no such word as layed’?.  

Until tomorrow…

Sandra
Freelance Writer
www.sandramadeira.com

Related articles

• The Chicken and the Egg (Lie vs. Lay) (writingtomarketing.wordpress.com)
• Note 237 – Do you lay or lie on the settee? (mywritingnotebook.com)

Image via Wikipedia: Author Julian Berry