glide
/ˈɡlaɪd/verb, noun
glide is spelled G-L-I-D-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, glide means “To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in glide?
| Letters | 5: G-L-I-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is glide?
Glide appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce glide?
- /ˈɡlaɪd/
- /ˈɡlɛɪd/
Glide has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-glide.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with glide?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as glide.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lidge, gelid.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of glide
- glides present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- gliding participle, present
- glided past, participle
- glid past, participle
- glidden participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does glide mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move softly, smoothly, or effortlessly.
- 2
To fly unpowered, as of an aircraft. Also relates to gliding birds and flying fish.
- 3
To cause to glide.
- 4
To pass with a glide, as the voice.
noun
- 1
The act of gliding.
- 2
A transitional sound, especially a semivowel.
- 3
An attack or preparatory movement made by sliding down the opponent’s blade, keeping it in constant contact.
- 4
A bird, the glede or kite.
- 5
A kind of cap affixed to the base of the legs of furniture to prevent it from damaging the floor while being moved.
- 6
The joining of two sounds without a break.
- 7
A smooth and sliding step in dancing the waltz.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Glide in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | glisser , planer |
| German | gleiten , gleiten lassen |
| Portuguese | deslizar , planar |
| Spanish | planear , deslizarse , deslizada, deslizante |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does glide come from?
From Middle English gliden, from Old English glīdan, from Proto-West Germanic *glīdan, from Proto-Germanic *glīdaną, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleydʰ-.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).