# glide

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɡlaɪd/ · frequency rank #18,836

## Definitions
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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **grid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-grid)
- **glue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glue)
- **grade** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-grade)
- **guide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guide)
- **globe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-globe)
- **glove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glove)
- **guise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guise)
- **Guido** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guido)
- **grids** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-grids)
- **grime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-grime)
- **goode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-goode)
- **gripe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-gripe)
- **guile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guile)
- **glitz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glitz)
- **glint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glint)
- **guided** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guided)
- **guides** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-guides)
- **glider** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glider)
- **glides** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glide-vs-glides)
- **give** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/give-vs-glide)

## Common misspellings (7)
`gglide`, `gilde`, `gldie`, `glidde`, `glied`, `gllide`, `lgide`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/glide