glide

/ˈɡlaɪd/

//ˈɡlaɪd// verb

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

"glide" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“glide” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,836 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#18,836
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

glide vs grid
60% similar
glide vs glue
60% similar
glide vs grade
60% similar

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

Key facts for glide
PropertyValue
Headwordglide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡlaɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,836
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “glide” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for glide is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡlaɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,836 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for glide, with forms such as "gglide", "gilde", and "gldie". 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, "grid", "glue", "grade", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *glīdan, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleydʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian glide, glydzje, Low German glieden, Dutch glijden, German gleiten, Norwegian N… The correct English form is glide, spelled G-L-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.
  2. 2
    To fly unpowered, as of an aircraft. Also relates to gliding birds and flying fish.
  3. 3
    To cause to glide.
  4. 4
    To pass with a glide, as the voice.

Etymology

From Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *glīdan, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleydʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian glide, glydzje, Low German glieden, Dutch glijden, German gleiten, Norwegian Nynorsk gli, Danish glide, Swedish glida, Finnish liitää.

Synonyms

coastslide

This word in other languages

deslizar(Español)glisser(Français)gleiten(Deutsch)deslizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gglide,gilde,gldie,glidde,glied,gllide,lgide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of glide - 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.

gglide1gilde2gldie2glidde1glied2gllide1lgide2
Edit distance from "glide"

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 "glide"?
"glide" is spelled G-L-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡlaɪd/.
What does "glide" mean?
As a verb, "glide" means: To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.
What words are commonly confused with "glide"?
"glide" is commonly confused with "grid", "glue", "grade". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "glide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glide" is /ˈɡlaɪd/. 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 "glide"?
From Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *glīdan, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleydʰ-. Cognate with West Frisian glide, glydzje, Low German glieden, Dutch glijden, German gleiten, N... 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.

Using “glide”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-L-I-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡlaɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “grid” - see the side-by-side comparison. glide vs grid
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list