More Frequently Confused Words

Spaded and Spayed

The garden that has been worked over with a pointy-tipped shovel has been spaded.

The cat or dog that can no longer reproduce has been spayed (if female, or neutered if male).


Yay, Yea, and Yeah

Yay! is an sort of cheer, used to mean hooray! or bravo!

Yea, pronounced the same way, is an affirmative vote, as in Congress or Parliament. It is the King James way of saying "yes" or "yes, even" and is the opposite of "nay". Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death means, "Yes, even though I walk..." etc.

Yeah is a modern slangy way of saying "yes". In England, its pronunciation ranges from "yay" to "yeh", while in America, more regional variations are added. It sometimes rhymes with "ha" but frequently is given a short a.