A pond drying up loses its water. In a British kitchen, someone drying up may instead be wiping washed dishes with a cloth. The subject and object help identify the meaning.

The idea

Water features can dry up: the pond dries up or dried up. For British dish drying, use dry the plates up / dry up the plates, but dry them up. Keep y in drying; use i in dries and dried.

Examples

  • The shallow pond dried up during the hot summer.
  • The puddle dried up before noon.
  • Without rain, the small stream can dry up.
  • Lea washed the mugs, and Omar dried them up.
  • Please dry these plates up with a clean towel.
  • I am drying up while Mina is putting the dishes away.

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Watch out

Drying dishes up does not mean the dishes disappear; their water is removed. The kitchen sense is mainly British. Dry the dishes makes that chore clear across varieties of English.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the correct option. The pond ___ up last summer. (dried / dryed)

    Show answer or example answer

    dried

    The past changes y to i before -ed: dried.

  2. Choose the correct option. I am ___ up while Mina puts the dishes away. (drying / driing)

    Show answer or example answer

    drying

    Before -ing, keep y: drying, not driing.

  3. Choose the correct option. These mugs are wet. Please dry ___. (them up / up them)

    Show answer or example answer

    them up

    The pronoun them refers to the mugs and comes between dry and up.

Use it today

Describe a puddle that disappeared and two people sharing dishwashing and drying. Use dried for a past event and drying for an action in progress.