beguile

/bɪˈɡaɪl/

//bɪˈɡaɪl// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"beguile" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“beguile” is uncommon English (frequency #90,192 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,192
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To deceive or delude (using guile).

Corpus desk

Index EN-beguile · beguile · English

beguile · rank #90,192 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,192
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH Beeching

Nearest frequency peer: Beeching (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “beguile”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “beguile” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for beguile
PropertyValue
Headwordbeguile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/bɪˈɡaɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#90,192
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “beguile” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).beguilefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Beeching” (#90,191), “beller” (#90,193), “becalmed” (#90,189). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beguile” is #90,192. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

beguile is uncommon English at frequency #90,192 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /bɪˈɡaɪl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for beguile in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- + guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”). Doublet of bewile. The correct English form is beguile, spelled B-E-G-U-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To deceive or delude (using guile).
  2. 2
    To charm, delight or captivate.
  3. 3
    To cause (time) to seem to pass quickly, by way of pleasant diversion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how beguile appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. And as wililye as thoſe ſhrewes that beguyle hym haue holpe hym to inuolue and intryke the matter: I ſhall vſe ſo playn and open a way therin, that euery man ſhall well ſee the trouth.
  2. I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave.

Etymology

From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- + guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”). Doublet of bewile.

This word in other languages

engañar(Español)duper(Français)irreführen(Deutsch)enganar(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "beguile"?
"beguile" is spelled B-E-G-U-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bɪˈɡaɪl/.
What does "beguile" mean?
As a verb, "beguile" means: To deceive or delude (using guile).
How do you pronounce "beguile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beguile" is /bɪˈɡaɪl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "beguile"?
From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- + guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”). Doublet of bewile. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "beguile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

blankie#90,213blucher#90,214atresia#90,161Astarte#90,156

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list