# employ vs employed

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### employ
*verb · IPA /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ · frequency rank #7,558*
To retain (someone) as an employee.

### employed
*adjective · IPA /ɪmˈplɔɪd/ · frequency rank #3,486*
In a job; working.

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