Meaning and usage guide
lay vs lie
Meaning, usage, pronunciation, and examples
Lay means put something down and normally takes an object. Lie means recline or be in a resting position and does not take an object.
Reference accent
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How to choose
Use the object test, then check the tense
First ask whether someone is placing an object. Then choose the correct form for the time of the action.
Present: lay + object
Use lay when the subject puts a person or thing somewhere.
Lay the phone on the desk.
Present: lie, no object
Use lie when the subject reclines or remains in a position.
I need to lie down.
Past forms
Lay becomes laid; lie becomes lay; the past participles are laid and lain.
Yesterday she lay down after she had laid the book aside.
Direct answer
What is the difference?
In the present tense, you lay something somewhere, but a person or object lies somewhere. The past forms cause most confusion: the past of lay is laid, while the past of lie is lay and its past participle is lain. A separate verb lie means say something untrue and has the past form lied.
American English
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Word 1
lay
verb, usually transitive
To put or place someone or something in a resting position.
US pronunciation
/leɪ/
UK IPA
/leɪ/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
Use the long A glide in “day.” Keep it separate from lie, which uses the vowel in “my.”
Word 2
lie
verb, usually intransitive
To recline or remain in a position; in another sense, to make an untrue statement.
US pronunciation
/laɪ/
UK IPA
/laɪ/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
Use the wide vowel glide in “my.” There is no final consonant after the vowel.
Listen in context
6 example sentences
Context makes meaning, grammar, and natural rhythm easier to understand. Every sentence has its own playback.
Examples with
lay
- Please lay the keys beside the door.
- Workers will lay new cable this week.
- Gently lay the baby in the crib.
Examples with
lie
- I need to lie down for a few minutes.
- The documents lie on the top shelf.
- It is wrong to lie about the results.
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