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Lay vs lie

You lay something down. You lie down yourself.

lay

verb with an object: to put or place something

Test: Is there a thing being placed? Can you swap in “put”?

Lay the baby in the cot.
Hens lay eggs.

lie

verb without an object: to recline or be located

Test: Can you swap in “recline” or “rest”?

I need to lie down.
The town lies in a valley.

Lay = plAce (both have an a). Lie = recIInE.

Test yourself

Five sentences. Apply the test above to each one before you pick.

I’m going to _____ down for a nap.
Please _____ the papers on my desk.
Yesterday I _____ in the sun for hours.
She _____ the table for dinner.
The book is _____ on the floor.

Pick an answer for each sentence.

The forms that cause the confusion

Lie (recline): lie, lay, lain, lying. Lay (put): lay, laid, laid, laying. The past tense of “lie” is “lay”, which is why the two collide. (Lie meaning “tell an untruth” is regular: lie, lied, lied, lying.)

Catch it automatically

The grammar checker flags common mix-ups like this one by looking at the words around them, and the sentence checker can explain any sentence you’re unsure about.

Questions people ask

Is it “lay down” or “lie down”?

In the present, “lie down”. “Lay down” is correct as the past tense (“yesterday I lay down”) or with an object (“lay down your weapons”).

Other grammar guides

Affect vs effectAffect is usually the verb. Effect is usually the noun.Its vs it’sIt’s = it is / it has. Its = belonging to it.Your vs you’reYou’re = you are. Your = belonging to you.Their, there and they’reTheir = belonging to them. There = place / “there is”. They’re = they are.Advice vs adviseAdvice is the noun (rhymes with “nice”). Advise is the verb (rhymes with “prize”).Then vs thanThan compares things. Then tells you when.Whose vs who’sWho’s = who is / who has. Whose = belonging to whom.Principal vs principlePrinciple = a rule or belief. Principal = main, a head person, or a loan amount.Lose vs looseLose = misplace or not win (rhymes with “shoes”). Loose = not tight (rhymes with “goose”).Who vs whomWho does the action (he). Whom receives it (him).I.e. vs e.g.E.g. = for example (some of many). I.e. = that is (the exact thing).Farther vs furtherFarther = physical distance. Further = degree, time or “more”.Everyday vs every dayEveryday = ordinary (an adjective). Every day = each day.Complement vs complimentCompliment = praise. Complement = something that completes or suits.Into vs in toInto = movement inside or a change. In to = “in” (part of a verb) + “to”.Fewer vs lessFewer for countable things. Less for uncountable amounts.Accept vs exceptAccept = receive or agree to. Except = apart from.To, too and twoTo = direction or verb marker. Too = also / excessively. Two = 2.