Difference Between Lay and Lie (With Table)

Lay and Lie are two separate terms in the English language. They differ from each other not only in terms of their spelling but also their pronunciation. Yet, there are confusions over their usage as their meaning is very much similar.

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Both of them are related to a horizontal position. But there is very hairline difference between them which should be taken into account before using them.

Lay vs Lie

The main difference between Lay and Lie is that the former requires a medium to get the work done. That is to say, another individual or object is required to lie something down. While no medium is required for the latter.

The meaning of ‘Lay’ is to place down an object or an individual in a horizontal position. For example; she laid down her bag on the table.

‘Lie’ on the other hand means to settle down or be in a horizontal position on our own. For example; I can lie down on my own or I can lie on my bed all day long.

Comparison Table Between Lay and Lie (in Tabular Form)

Parameter of Comparison	Lay	Lie
Meaning	To place something or someone down in a flat position.	To be or place oneself down in a flat position.
Type of Verb	Transitive or Regular Verb.	Intransitive or Irregular Verb.
Pronunciation	Leɪ	Laɪ
Simple Past Tense	Laid	Lay
Homophones	1. Lei: a garland (of flowers) 2. Ley: a variant of Lea which means an open area of arable or grassy land.	Lye: the liquid obtained from percolated ashes of wood.

What is meant by Lay?

It refers to the act of putting something or someone down in a resting position. The term is of Germanic origin and is corresponding to Dutch word leggen and German word legen. It is mainly used as a verb and needs a direct object. To put it another way, it is a transitive verb.

Apart from the ‘placing something down’ meaning of ‘Lay’, there are a lot of other meanings of ‘lay’ that are used in different contexts. They are:

To prepare: Mainly a project or plan etc. For example:
1. She laid out the plan of the building.
To set out or establish: Mainly laws or principles. For example;
1. The Preamble lays down the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
To place a material over another material to cover the latter:
1. The floor was laid with carpets.
To put forward a suggestion or proposal:
1. She laid before the board of directors the proposals for the new project.
To put a stake or to take a risk:
1. He won’t come to the party. I can lay money on it
To produce and deposit eggs:
1. Ducks lay eggs.
To impose a tax, a punishment, or a command etc. :
1. The government has laid a tax on ownership of property.
To impute or charge or blame:
1. I am aware of the allegations laid on her.

The verb forms of ‘Lay’ is as follows:

Base Form: Lay
Simple Past: Laid
Past Participle: Laid
Present Participle: Laying
3^rd Person Singular: Lays

‘Lay’ is also used as a noun and is applied to the following contexts:

Relationship or arrangement or layout:
1. She gives him the lay of the land.
Used to describe someone’s potential as a sexual partner:
1. He has the reputation of being an easy lay.

Another usage of ‘Lay’ is that of an adjective. Accordingly, it is applied to the following two contexts:

Having no deep knowledge about a specific subject:
1. From a lay point of view, they are almost same.
Having a temporary and unpaid position in a Church or any other religious organizations:
1. He was a lay preacher.

What is meant by Lie?

It means to assume or be in a resting position by a person or an object on its own. The term is of Germanic origin and is connected to the Dutch term liggen and German term liegen.

It is primarily used as a verb which does not require an object. That is to say, it is an irregular or an intransitive verb. As an intransitive verb, it can be applied in the following contexts:

To rest on a place in the horizontal position (mainly a thing):
1. The books were lying open on the bed.
2. The phone was lying on the table.
To be buried in a specific place (a dead person):
1. Her body lies in a coffin.
To be situated or placed:
1. The temple lies about 2 km to the west of the railway station.
2. At present, Rima is lying in fourth place.
To be in a particular state or condition:
1. The bungalow lies in ruins today.
2. The food was lying untouched.
A charge, action or claim that is sustainable and admissible:
1. An action for restoration would lie for the deed done in contravention of the law.

‘Lie’ has another meaning as well and that is to give false information to deceive someone. For example:

The nose of Pinocchio grows in size when he lies.
One can be punished if found lying in the court of law.

The verb forms of ‘Lie’ (to place oneself down) and ‘Lie’ (to give false statements) differ from each other and must be taken into account while using them in a sentence.

The verb forms of ‘Lie\'(recline) are as follows:

Base Form: Lie.
Simple Past: Lay
Past Participle: Lain
Present Participle: Lying
3^rd Person Singular: Lies

While, the verb forms of ‘Lie’ (to say an untruth) are as follows:

Base Form: Lie
Simple Past: Lied
Past Participle: Lied
Present Participle: Lying
3^rd Person Singular: Lies

‘Lie’ is also used as a noun and is applied in different contexts in the following ways:

The location or direction in which a particular thing lies:
1. She was getting acquainted with the lie of the streets.
A false statement:
1. It was clear from her facial expression that she was telling a lie.
2. Everything was a lie.

Main Differences Between Lay and Lie

Lay and Lie have a very fine difference in their meanings as both of them talk about the horizontal position. But the former requires a medium to get something or someone in a flat position. While the latter does not need a medium to do that. The object or the individual assumes the resting position on its own.
Lay is a transitive or regular verb. Therefore, it must have an object. But Lie is an intransitive or irregular verb and therefore does not need an object.
The terms also differ in terms of their pronunciation. While Lay is pronounced as leɪ, Lie is pronounced as laɪ.
The main reason behind confusing these two words is that the past tense of ‘lay’ is ‘laid’ but that of ‘lie’ is ‘lay’.
The homophones of Lay are Lei meaning a garland of flowers and Ley meaning an open arable or grassy land. While Lie has only one homophone and that is Lye meaning a liquid procured from the percolated ashes of wood.

Conclusion

The confusion between Lay and Lie is primarily caused by the simple past tense of ‘lie’, which is ‘lay’. To ensure that the terms are appropriately used, one needs to keep in mind their verb forms.

Also, it is necessary to recognise the object. If a sentence contains a direct object, then one should use ‘lay’ and if there is no object, lie should be used. Once, these things are taken into account, there should not be much problem incorrectly using the terms.