# stay vs swam

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### stay
*verb · IPA /steɪ/ · frequency rank #473*
To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.

### swam
*verb · IPA /swæm/ · frequency rank #18,708*
simple past of swim

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