Gilt or guilt?
gilt is a noun meaning “Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding”; guilt is a noun meaning “Responsibility for wrongdoing”. They sound the same (/ɡɪlt/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) guilt is about 11 times as common as gilt.
What is the difference between gilt and guilt?
| gilt | guilt | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, adjective, verb | noun, verb |
| Meaning | Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding Gold-colored paint or other coating Golden coloured; gilded | Responsibility for wrongdoing The state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings informalTo cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour |
| Example | higher gilt yields | He didn't want to do it, but his wife guilted him into it |
| Forms | gilts | guilts |
| Pronunciation | /ɡɪlt/ [ɡɪɫt] | /ɡɪlt/ |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words | 13 times per million words |
Sources: gilt and guilt in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of gilt and guilt
gilt
- 1
Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding
- 2
Golden coloured; gilded
- 3
UKA young female pig, at or nearing the age of first breeding
- 4
Acronym of globalization, internationalization, localization, and translation
- 5
Gold-colored paint or other coating
- 6
slangMoney
- 7
UKA security (usually a bond) issued by the Bank of England (see gilt-edged)
higher gilt yields
guilt
- 1
Responsibility for wrongdoing
- 2
informalTo cause someone to feel guilt, particularly in order to influence their behaviour
He didn't want to do it, but his wife guilted him into it
- 3
The state of having been found guilty or admitted guilt in legal proceedings
- 4
Regret for having done wrong
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, gilt or guilt?
gilt appears 1.2 times per million words; guilt 13 times per million words.
gilt 1.2 times per million wordsguilt 13 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).