pay back
SeparableThe object can go before or after the particle — but a pronoun MUST go in the middle: “clean it up”, never “clean up it”.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: pay BACK. Saying “PAY back” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
No pause between the words. /eɪ/ runs straight into /b/ — “pay back” is one rhythmic unit with a single stressed beat on the particle.
Verb vs noun
As a noun the stress flips to the front: the verb is pay BACK, the noun is PAYBACK. Same two words, different beat — “to pay BACK” is the action, “a payback” is the thing. Getting this backwards makes the sentence land oddly even when every sound is right.
2 meanings
- 1
To return money you borrowed.
- “I'll pay you back on Friday.”
- “He paid back every cent.”
Similar: repay, reimburse
- 2
To take revenge.
- “She was determined to pay them back for the humiliation.”
Similar: get back at