Pronunciation

How to pronounce “paid

“paid” is pronounced /peɪd/ (PAYD) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “paid” in one beat

Say it like this

paid

/peɪd/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. paidpeɪd
IPA (American)
/peɪd/
IPA (British)
/peɪd/
Respelling
PAYD
Syllables
1 — paid
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /peɪd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “paid” means

  1. verb

    give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

    I paid four dollars for this sandwich

  2. verb

    convey, as of a compliment, regards, attention, etc.; bestow

    Don't pay him any mind

  3. verb

    cancel or discharge a debt

    pay up, please!

Say it in a sentence

He paid the bill before the waiter even brought it.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

paid”, answered

How do you pronounce “paid”?

“paid” is pronounced /peɪd/ (PAYD) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /peɪd/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “paid” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /peɪd/ — a single beat.

What does “paid” mean?

As a verb: give money, usually in exchange for goods or services For example: “I paid four dollars for this sandwich” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “paid”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /peɪd/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “paid” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.