# repay

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɹiˈpeɪ/ · frequency rank #11,953

## Definitions
1. Synonym of pay back in all senses.
2. To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off.
3. To give in return; requite.

## Etymology
From Old French repaier (“to pay back”), from re- + paiier (“to pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), from pāx (“peace”) + -ō (forming verbs). Equivalent to re- + pay. Cognate with repacify and French repayer (“to pay again”).

## Easily confused with
- **Rey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-rey)
- **reps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-reps)
- **repo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-repo)
- **Reza** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-reza)
- **reply** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-reply)
- **repel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-repel)
- **retry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-retry)
- **repeat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-repeat)
- **repeal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-repeal)
- **replay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/repay-vs-replay)
- **ray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ray-vs-repay)
- **rep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rep-vs-repay)
- **Rea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rea-vs-repay)
- **real** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/real-vs-repay)
- **read** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/read-vs-repay)
- **rear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rear-vs-repay)
- **rely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rely-vs-repay)
- **reap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/reap-vs-repay)
- **ready** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ready-vs-repay)
- **relax** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/relax-vs-repay)

## Common misspellings (7)
`erpay`, `reapy`, `repayy`, `reppay`, `repya`, `rpeay`, `rrepay`

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