# lay vs loam

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### lay
*verb · IPA /leɪ/ · frequency rank #2,302*
To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.

### loam
*noun · IPA /ləʊm/ · frequency rank #46,031*
A type of soil; an earthy mixture of sand, silt and clay, with organic matter to which its fertility is chiefly due.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lay-vs-loam