gild

/ɡɪld/

//ɡɪld// verb

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

"gild" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gild” is uncommon English (frequency #57,405 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,405
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gild · gild · English

gild · rank #57,405 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,405
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gianna

Nearest frequency peer: Gianna (-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 “gild”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gild
PropertyValue
Headwordgild
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡɪld/
Letters4
Frequency rank#57,405
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gild” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).gildfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Gianna” (#57,404), “glasshouse” (#57,406), “germanium” (#57,403). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gild” is #57,405. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gild is uncommon English at frequency #57,405 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɡɪld/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for gild in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gilden, gulden, from Old English gyldan (“to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *gulþijan, from Proto-Germanic *gulþijaną, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”). The correct English form is gild, spelled G-I-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.
  2. 2
    To adorn.
  3. 3
    To decorate with a golden surface appearance.
  4. 4
    To give a bright or pleasing aspect to.
  5. 5
    To give a brilliant colour or flush to one's face; (also) to make appear drunk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.
  2. I will make fast the doors, and gild myself With some more ducats, and be with you straight.

Etymology

From Middle English gilden, gulden, from Old English gyldan (“to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *gulþijan, from Proto-Germanic *gulþijaną, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”).

This word in other languages

dorar(Español)dorer(Français)vergolden(Deutsch)

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 "gild"?
"gild" is spelled G-I-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɪld/.
What does "gild" mean?
As a verb, "gild" means: To cover with a thin layer of gold; to cover with gold leaf.
How do you pronounce "gild"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gild" is /ɡɪld/. 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 "gild"?
From Middle English gilden, gulden, from Old English gyldan (“to gild, to cover with a thin layer of gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *gulþijan, from Proto-Germanic *gulþijaną, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”). 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 "gild", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gord#57,412frum#57,397Fron#57,395HEMA#57,425

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list