Karen Reddick, The Editor’s Blog

Many people get confused by the terms yay, yeah, and yea.

The word yea is an archaic formal way of saying yes that was used mainly in voting. It’s the opposite of, and rhymes with, nay.

Examples:
All in favor of ordering pizza say, yea.
All opposed say, nay.

When writing the common casual version of yes the correct spelling is yeah (sounds like yeh).

Examples:
Yeah, I’ve heard of that terminology before.
Yeah! Rock and roll lives forever!

The word yay also rhymes with nay but is the opposite of boo (as in the negative, not the scary).

Examples:
When the piping hot pizza arrived, we all yelled, “yay!”
Yay! The concert starts in five minutes!

Happy Writing!