Payed in Full

I think almost every school kid and adult knows to write 'paid' when discussing payment of a debt. I am one who seemingly has always known it, too. Lately, I have been writing 'payed' without giving it a thought. And then coming back later to edit the spelling.

When contemplating 'payed' I have at times questioned if it even is a legitimate word. Of course, it is. I just never knew the definition.

So, not to teach the educated, but for my own benefit, here are the two words, properly defined.

Merriam-Webster:

Paid


: receiving money for work
—used to indicate if someone receives low or high pay for work
: having been paid for

Payed (pay)

When to Use Payed

Payed is the past tense and past participle of the verb paybut is used in a very limited sense. Payed has a common and historical use as a nautical term having to do with ropes and ship hulls.
To pay out a rope or cable is to let out by slacking.
The captain payed out additional rope for the sails.
The construction works payed out the cable as he strung the line.
Laying down telephone lines, he payed out the cable as he went.
Payed can also refer to the sealing of a deck or hull of a wooden ship with pitch or tar to prevent leakage.
Have you payed the deck?
This ship looks fine but has yet to be payed.
These are the only uses in which you should be finding yourself using payed, when dealing with cable, rope, or chain being let out by slacking or the sealing of a wooden ship.