Confused by lay and lie? They're so similar that they're often (and incorrectly) used interchangeably. Here's what each one really means.
“Lay” vs. “Lie”: Which One Should You Use?
Updated on May 14, 2025
Similar-but-not-identical pairs of words are easy to mix up. Take, for instance, lay vs. lie. They may not be homophones, but they do sound pretty similar and have related meanings. The big question is: Can they be used interchangeably?
Well, as the confusing grammar rules would have it, no. There is a difference, and we’re here to discuss it all, including the correct way to use lie down vs. lay down. Read on for the details.
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Lay vs. lie: What’s the difference?
Lay means “to put or set down” and “to place for rest or sleep,” according to Merriam-Webster. Lie means “to be or stay at rest in a horizontal position.”
At first glance, it seems like they could mean the exact same thing. The difference, though, is that lie does not take a direct object, while lay always does.
Here’s a recap for anyone who hasn’t thought about direct objects since their middle school days: They’re words or phrases that receive the verb’s action. When you say “The book lies on the table,” the book (the subject of the sentence) is doing the action. But when you say “He lays the book on the table,” the book (the direct object) is receiving the action—“he” is doing it.
| Verb | Meaning | Direct object? | Present participle | Past participle |
| Lay | To put or place in a horizontal position or position of rest; set down | Yes | Laying | Laid |
| Lie | To be in a horizontal, recumbent or prostrate position | No | Lying | Lay |
Still confused? Keep reading for a breakdown of each—with examples.
How do you use lie?
When you lie, you “assume a horizontal position.” You can be lying down, and you can be lying on a futon. Lying can also refer to something that’s already in a horizontal position, whether a human or an inanimate object.
Grammar tip: Lie can mean a lot of things. Another common definition: to make an untrue or deceitful statement. As in, “she lied to the cops.”
Examples of lie and lying in a sentence:
- He went to lie down upstairs because he’s tired from the flight.
- Please get the remote that’s lying on the ottoman.
- If you need me, I’ll be lying on the couch watching TV.
Keep in mind that the present participle of lie is lying, with a y, not lieing with an ie—regardless of whether you’re talking about lying down or lying as in telling a falsehood. Lieing isn’t a word.
How do you use lay?
Remember, the major difference with lay vs. lie is that lay takes an object. You’re not just laying down; you need to be laying something down.
Grammar tip: Lay has many meanings, and one of the second most common refers to birds producing eggs. Think: “How many eggs did the chicken lay?”
Examples of lay and laying in a sentence:
- Lay the baby down in the crib carefully so that she won’t cry.
- The painting isn’t dry yet, so I’m laying it down carefully.
- You can lay your coat on the rack and follow me into the kitchen.
Confusingly enough, the word lay is what you’ll find in the rhyming children’s prayer “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.” Since the speaker is laying themselves down (a somewhat old-fashioned way of phrasing), the word me is the object of the sentence. If the opening line were just “Now I lay down to sleep,” it would be incorrect.
How do you use the past tense of lay vs. lie?
When you hear their different definitions, lay vs. lie seems easy enough to understand, even if remembering which is which is still a little confusing. But then you consider the past tenses of each verb, and lay vs. lie becomes even more complicated, almost comically so. Because the past tense of lie is … lay!
So while you wouldn’t say “I need to lay down right now because I’m not feeling well,” you would say “I lay down yesterday because I wasn’t feeling well.” Yikes!
You can also think about the lyric in “Away in a Manger”: “The stars in the sky looked down where he lay.” Looked is past tense here, and lay is too. There is no direct object.
The past tense of lay, meanwhile, isn’t also lay (thankfully). It’s laid. Just like the present-tense version, laid needs an object, as in, “She gently laid the sleeping baby in the crib.”
What’s an easy way to remember lay vs. lie?
The meat of it really comes down to remembering that lay and laying take a direct object, while lie and lying do not. Grammarly offers the mnemonic “LAy means to pLAce (something)” and “LIe means to recLIne,” but that may not help when using the present participles because lying does not have an li like lie does.
The easiest way for me, personally, is to think about how chickens lay eggs. That statement has a direct object (eggs), so lay always has one.
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Sources:
- Merriam-Webster: “Lie”
- Merriam-Webster: “Lay”
- Grammarly: “Laying vs. Lying (Lay vs. Lie)–What’s the Difference?”
