bed and layer share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. bed means “a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep”. layer means “single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance”. bed is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈbɛd/
1.n.a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
“he sat on the edge of the bed”
2.n.a plot of ground in which plants are growing
“the gardener planted a bed of roses”
3.n.a depression forming the ground under a body of water
“he searched for treasure on the ocean bed”
/ˈleɪɚ/
1.n.single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance
“slices of hard-boiled egg on a bed of spinach”
2.n.a relatively thin sheetlike expanse or region lying over or under another
3.n.an abstract place usually conceived as having depth
“a good actor communicates on several levels”
| bed | layer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbɛd/ | /ˈleɪɚ/ |
| Said | bed | LAY-ur |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 13 | 6 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | bed |
Full entry for bed · Full entry for layer · More comparisons