gilt

/ɡɪlt/

//ɡɪlt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gilt” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,774. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,774
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gilt · gilt · English

gilt · rank #25,774 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,774
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gillette

Nearest frequency peer: Gillette (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “gilt”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “gilt” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gilt vs GL
0% similar
gilt vs got
50% similar
gilt vs gut
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for gilt
PropertyValue
Headwordgilt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɪlt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#25,774
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gilt”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Gillette” (#25,773), “glider” (#25,775), “ger” (#25,772). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gilt” is #25,774. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around gilt (IPA /ɡɪlt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,774 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gilt, with forms such as "ggilt", "gillt", and "giltt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GL", "got", "gut", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Formed in English from the verb gild (“to cover in gold”). Compare gold and German Geld. The correct English form is gilt, spelled G-I-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding.
  2. 2
    Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding.
  3. 3
    Money.
  4. 4
    A security (usually a bond) issued by the Bank of England (see gilt-edged).
  5. 5
    A gilded object, an object covered with gold.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. three corrupted men […] Have, for the gilt of France,—O guilt indeed!— Confirm'd conspiracy with fearful France
  2. higher gilt yields

Etymology

Formed in English from the verb gild (“to cover in gold”). Compare gold and German Geld.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggilt
  • gillt
  • giltt
  • gitl
  • glit
  • iglt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gilt - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggilt1gillt1giltt1gitl2glit2iglt2
Edit distance from "gilt"

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 "gilt"?
"gilt" is spelled G-I-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɪlt/.
What does "gilt" mean?
As a noun, "gilt" means: Gold or other metal in a thin layer; gilding.
What words are commonly confused with "gilt"?
"gilt" is commonly confused with "GL", "got", "gut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gilt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gilt" is /ɡɪlt/. 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 "gilt"?
Formed in English from the verb gild (“to cover in gold”). Compare gold and German Geld. 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 "gilt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

gait#25,770Imma#25,791Jace#25,806Jain#25,807

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

booed6 variantsaloha6 variantsVick6 variantsshiv6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list