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Is it “Time Flies” or “Time Flys” (Correct Grammar + Examples)

Is it “time flies” or “time flys?” When referring to the phrase, “time flies when you are having fun,” which is the correct form of the word “fly” to use? This can be challenging to remember since the idea of the phrase “time flys” is that something is fleeting. Or flying away. Making us picture the correct word being “fly” rather than “flies.”

Learn the correct spelling of the phrase in this short American English guide.

PhraseCorrect/Incorrect
Time fliesCorrect
Time flysIncorrect

Which is correct, “time flies” or “time flys?”

The correct answer is “time flies” rather than “time fly’s.” The word “fly” can be a verb or a noun in a common sentence. When the plural form of the noun “fly” is used, the pluralization of the word would be “flys.”

Although, since we are not often referring to actions in the sentence “time flies,” we would use the third-person singular form of the verb and turn it into “flies.”

Sentence examples using “flys”

Here are sentence examples using the word “flys”:

  • There were a lot of flys hovering around the garbage can hoping to get some food.
  • The flys of every athlete were open and it was an embarrassing moment.

Sentence examples using “flies”

Here are sentence examples using the word “flies”:

What does “time flies” mean?

Often, the idiom is referring to the idea that time is feeling. Rather, time is moving fast than originally expected. The word “time” is a singular noun in this sentence. Making the verb that follows needs to be in third-person singular form, making it the plural form.

  • Time flies when we’re playing baseball. We have a lot of fun!
  • They said that time flies when you’re in the zone. I would have to agree with that.
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About the author

Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. She covers English, ESL, and all things grammar on GrammarBrain.

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