Yea or Yeah – – How to Use Each Correctly
What is the Difference Between Yea and Yeah?
Contents
Yea and yeah are both adverbs that mean yes, that have similar spellings. However, they are used in very different contexts, which means that you cannot interchange these two words.
Yea can act as either an adverb or a noun that means yes or a vote of yes. This is used for formal votes during meetings, especially votes in parliament or congress.
- Several congressmen and women from Texas voted yea, but the majority voted nay.
Yeah is an adverb which means yes. However, this synonym of yes is informal, so it should only be used in conversational English.
- Did you ask if I can come with you to the movies on Thursday? Yeah, I should be able to make it.
Now, let’s look at the specific ways to use these words.
Using Yea in a Sentence
When to use yea: Yea is an adverb that is an archaic form of yes except in the context of formal votes for or against a proposal. Each voter can vote yea, meaning they support the proposal, nay, meaning they reject the proposal, or abstain. This is especially common when politicians are voting for or against a new law.
For example,
- There were an equal number of yea and nay votes, so the Vice President’s vote will break the tie.
- The politician couldn’t vote yea because it went against his conscience, but he also couldn’t vote nay because it went against his party’s wishes. Therefore, he abstained from voting.
Yea is also a synonym with aye. Aye is often what politicians actually say when taking a voice vote.
Using Yeah in a Sentence
When to use yeah: Yeah is an adverb that means yes. It is informal, so it doesn’t appear in academic or formal situations.
For example,
- The boss was frustrated that his employee answered his questions with yeah instead of yes, sir. He thought it showed a lack of respect.
- Yeah, I get what you’re saying.
Yeah is also a common filler, which means that people often use yeah in the same way as um or uh when they are thinking or pausing, but aren’t finished speaking.
Remembering Yea vs. Yeah
It is possible to use the spelling of yea and yeah to remember the meanings.
Yea has three letters, just like nay or aye, the other archaic forms of no and yes which now appear only in parliamentary procedures.
Yeah ends in the letters ah, which can help you remember that just like ah, yeah can be a filler. Also, just as fillers are common in conversational English, but not written or academic English, yeah is a common way to say yes when speaking casually with friends.
Outside Examples
- His tips for getting your voice heard? It’s fine to be brief if you just want your opinion counted as a “yea” or “nay” on a specific bill. But you can also discuss how an issue personally affects you, your family or community. –New York Times
- Of the 24 GOP members of the Texas House delegation in 2013, all but one voted against the Sandy relief package in 2013. The one “yea” vote was Rep. John Culberson, whose district includes Houston. –LA Times
- “It’s awesome. It’s absolutely awesome,” Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton said. “It’s a group of guys and coaches that people didn’t believe in that stuck together and endured some tough times and tried to stay on course and to believe in ourselves and believe in each other and to do things right, so yeah, to fly out here in the second week of the season and have a win like this, it’s a pretty big deal.” –USA Today
- “From an outsider’s perspective, yeah, what these guys have done is a total bootstrap culture,” he said. –Denver Post
Quiz: Yea vs. Yeah
Instructions: Fill in the blank with the correct word, either yea or yeah, in the correct form.
- Are you asking to borrow my truck to move your new fridge into your apartment? _______, I guess that would be okay with me.
- A vote of ___________ would mean that new environmental regulations pass into law.
- Well, ____________, I agree that it’s important.
Article Summary
Should I use yea or yeah? These two words both mean yes, but they appear in very different contexts.
- Yea appears in parliamentary procedure to mean a vote of yes. It sounds archaic if used outside of this context.
- Yeah is informal so it is inappropriate in academic English. It is most similar to sure or yep. It can also act as a filler like well or ah.
Make sure you are aware of these differences when choosing which of these words to use.
Quiz Answers
- Yeah
- yea
- yeah