# aye

> English word · Adverb · IPA /eɪ/ · frequency rank #8,388

## Definitions
1. Ever, always.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey-
Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu
Proto-Germanic *aiwazder.
Old Norse eyder.
Middle English ay
English aye
From Middle English ay, ai, aȝȝ, from Old Norse ei, ey, from Proto-Germanic *aiwa, *aiwō (“ever, always”), from *aiwaz (“age; law”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyu- (“long time”). Doublet of aeviternity and aevum.
See also Old English āwo, āwa, ā, ō, Middle Dutch ie, German je; also Old English ǣ(w) (“law”), West Frisian ieu (“century”), Dutch eeuw (“century”); also Irish aois (“age, period”), Breton oad (“age, period”), Latin ævum (“eternity”), Ancient Greek αἰών (aiṓn).

## Easily confused with
- **AZ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-az)
- **ayr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-ayr)
- **Ayn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-ayn)
- **Ayer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-ayer)
- **Ayres** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-ayres)
- **eh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-eh)
- **IJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aye-vs-ij)
- **A** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/a-vs-aye)
- **as** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/as-vs-aye)
- **at** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/at-vs-aye)
- **an** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/an-vs-aye)
- **AM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/am-vs-aye)
- **AL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/al-vs-aye)
- **AD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ad-vs-aye)
- **ah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ah-vs-aye)
- **AP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ap-vs-aye)
- **AC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ac-vs-aye)
- **ai** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ai-vs-aye)
- **aw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/aw-vs-aye)
- **AR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ar-vs-aye)

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