Vie or Vye?

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Vie or Vye?

What is the difference between "vie" and "vye"?

The word "to vye" is obsolete. It is the old form of "to vie." However, the letter "y" still appears in the "vying," which is the present participle of "to vie." For example:
  • Government rivals vie for power in Zanzibar.
  • A variety of former opposition parties are vying for power in the upcoming elections.
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More about "Vie" or "Vye"

"To vye" is the obsolete form of "to vie." The letter "y" only appears in "vying." The verb "to vie" means to compete with someone in order to achieve something. Of interest, the verb "to vie," which was popular in the 19th century, is getting less popular. [evidence]

Here are some example sentence with difference versions of the verb to "vie":
  • The government is heading for serious political instability as its rival party vies for power.
  • The top students in the class vied for the title of valedictorian.
  • The Japanese potters could never vie with the Chinese in the production of glazes.
  • The swimmers were vying for a place on team USA.

Conjugating the Verb "To Vie"

Here is the conjugation of the verb "to vie."
PronounPersonSimple PresentSimple Past
IFirst person singularvievied
YouSecond person singularvievied
He/She/ItThird person singularviesvied
WeFirst person pluralvievied
YouSecond person pluralvievied
TheyThird person plural vievied

Present Participle of "To Vie"

The present participle of the verb "to vie" is "vying" (i.e., it retains the "y" from the obsolete version).

The verb "to vie" is like "to lie," the present participle of which is "lying."

Examples:
  • We are independent of the two factions that are vying for power.
  • I'm really interested in cliques. I like watching girls vying for attention. (New Zeland singer Lorde)
Interactive Exercise
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See Also

adverse or averse? affect or effect? appraise or apprise? avenge or revenge? bare or bear? complement or compliment? dependant or dependent? discreet or discrete? disinterested or uninterested? e.g. or i.e.? envy or jealousy? imply or infer? its or it's? material or materiel? poisonous or venomous? practice or practise? principal or principle? tenant or tenet? who's or whose? What are verbs? List of easily confused words