# employ vs employer

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### employer
*noun · IPA /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ · frequency rank #4,942*
A person, firm or other entity which pays for or hires the services of another person.

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