I thought about these two words after my wife this morning talked about removing and replacing some floor tiles.

Problem:
Although the two verbs sound alike, only one of them refers to the process of removing and replacing something.

Explanation:
The verb “relay” — spelled R-E-L-A-Y — means to carry or pass along by or as if by relays.

The verb “re-lay” — spelled R-E-HYPHEN-L-A-Y — means to lay again.

In other words, one can not “relay” — without the hyphen — floor tiles.

Instead, one must “re-lay” — with the hyphen — floor tiles.

However, because the two verbs sound alike, one must have the context of an expression or sentence to determine whether the heard verb is “relay” — without the hyphen — or “re-lay” — with the hyphen.

Solution:
Use the verb “relay” — without the hyphen — when referring to the noun “relay”. Use the verb “re-lay” — with the hyphen — when referring to laying something again.