# allay vs alley

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### allay
*verb · IPA /əˈleɪ/ · frequency rank #41,993*
To make quiet or put at rest; to pacify or appease; to quell; to calm.

### alley
*noun · IPA /ˈæl.i/ · frequency rank #8,634*
A narrow street or passageway, especially one through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots of buildings.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/allay-vs-alley