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'Sleigh' is a horse- or reindeer-drawn vehicle for snow; 'slay' means to kill, or in modern slang, to impress or dominate completely.
Side-by-side comparison
"Sleigh" is the large vehicle on runners pulled by horses or reindeer, like Santa's. "Sleigh ride" = a journey in a sleigh. The 'gh' is silent.
The children watched in delight as the sleigh glided silently across the frozen lake.
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.
The sleigh was loaded with gifts and pulled by eight reindeer.
"Slay" means to kill violently (literary/archaic). In modern slang: to perform brilliantly or dominate something. "She slayed that performance" = she did it in an incredibly impressive way.
The hero had to slay the dragon before the kingdom could be saved.
She absolutely slayed that job interview, she got an offer the same afternoon.
His comedy timing is perfect, he slays every room he performs in.
Common mistake
- •"Santa's slay was loaded with gifts" when meaning the vehicle is wrong (correct: sleigh).
- •And "She sleighed the performance" when meaning she dominated it is wrong (correct: slayed).
Trick to remember it
- •"Sleigh" has EIGH like "eight" and "weigh".
- •Old English words with that cluster.
- •Santa's sleigh needs 8 reindeer (EIGH = eight).
- •"Slay" is short and sharp, a killing blow or impressive domination has no extra letters.
Quick rule
Is it the snow vehicle pulled by animals? "Sleigh." Is it the verb to kill or to dominate impressively? "Slay."
Did you know?
"Jingle Bells" (1857) was originally written by James Lord Pierpont as a Thanksgiving song, not a Christmas song, celebrating the sleigh races that were popular at the time. The original violent sense of SLAY ("to slay dragons") comes from Old English "slean" (to strike, to kill).
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Santa Claus rides a _____ pulled by reindeers on Christmas Eve.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The hero had to _____ the dragon to save the village.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy