Rely vs Relie Quiz: Test Yourself
Five quick questions on rely vs relie. Pick an answer to get instant feedback.
Flip Cards: Quick Review
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To depend on or trust. The correct base form.
“You can rely on me.”
Present tense for he, she or it.
“She relies on her notes.”
The past tense of rely.
“We relied on a map.”
Not a standard word. A misspelling of rely.
Write “rely” instead.
Writers mix up rely vs relie because rely changes its ending in other forms: it becomes relies and relied, so the letters “ie” and “i” pop up and tempt people to spell the base word with them. This guide shows which spelling is right, and why.
| Term | Meaning | Part of speech / Category | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rely | To depend on or trust someone or something | Verb (base form) | You can rely on me. |
| Relies | Present tense with he, she or it | Verb (third-person singular) | She relies on the bus to get to work. |
| Relied | Past tense and past participle of rely | Verb (past) | We relied on a map. |
| Relying | The -ing form of rely | Verb (present participle) | He is relying on his notes. |
| Relie | Not a standard English word | Misspelling | Incorrect. Write “rely” instead. |
What does rely mean?
Rely means to depend on someone or something, or to have confidence in them based on experience. It is almost always followed by “on.”
For example: “Farmers rely on the weather for good crops” and “You can rely on her to keep a secret.” The word has been in English for centuries. It comes from Middle English relien, which came through Anglo-French from Latin religare, meaning to tie back or bind.
Is “relie” a real word?
No. Relie is not a standard English word, and spelling tests list it as an error for rely. It may look familiar because it resembles the French verb relier, which is part of rely’s history, but in English it is simply a spelling mistake.
If you meant to write the base form, use rely. If you meant “he/she/it” in the present tense, use relies. If you meant the past tense, use relied.
Why do the endings change?
Rely ends in a consonant plus y, so the y becomes i before most endings. That one rule gives you relies and relied.
The exception is -ing: the y stays, giving relying. This is the same pattern you see with apply (applies, applied, applying) and reply (replies, replied, replying).
How do the other forms of rely work?
All of the related words follow the same spelling family. The adjective is reliable, the noun is reliance, and the quality of being dependable is reliability. None of them use “ie” right after the l.
A tip for proofreading: if you see “rel” followed by “ie” and then “on,” the writer almost certainly meant rely on or relies on.
How can you remember rely vs relie?
Keep the base form tied to the letter y, and let the endings do the work. Rely rhymes with reply and apply, and both of those end in y too. The memory tricks below help.
Memory tricks
- Rhyme with reply. If you can spell reply and apply, spell rely the same way, with a y.
- Y becomes I. Before -s and -ed, the y changes to an i: relies, relied. Only the base form keeps the y.
- Relie has no job. There is no form of rely that spells itself r-e-l-i-e, so whenever you type it, change it to rely.
Common mistakes
- ✗ You can relie on me.
✓ You can rely on me. - ✗ She relys on her notes.
✓ She relies on her notes. - ✗ We relyed on the map.
✓ We relied on the map. - ✗ He is relieing on a friend.
✓ He is relying on a friend. - ✗ A relieable source.
✓ A reliable source.
Frequently asked questions
Is relie a word?
No. Relie is not a standard English word. It is a misspelling of rely, or of the forms relies and relied.
What is the past tense of rely?
The past tense of rely is relied. The y changes to i before -ed, so relyed is incorrect.
Is it relys or relies?
Relies is correct. Because rely ends in a consonant plus y, the y changes to i and you add -es.
Is it rely on or rely upon?
Both are correct. Rely on is the everyday choice, while rely upon sounds a little more formal.
What is the adjective form of rely?
The adjective is reliable, as in a reliable source. The related noun is reliance.
Conclusion
The rely vs relie question has a simple answer: rely is correct, and relie is always a mistake. Remember that the y becomes i in relies and relied, but stays in rely and relying. Share this with someone who mixes these up, then retake the quiz above.