gold
/ɡəʊld/noun, symbol, adjective, verb, adverb
gold is spelled G-O-L-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 148 times per million words in written English, the 697th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gold means “(uncountable) A heavy yellow elemental metal of great value, with atomic number 79” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gold is golds.
How many letters and syllables are in gold?
| Letters | 4: G-O-L-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 148 times per million words; the 697th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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 gold?
Gold appears 148 times per million words in written English, the 697th 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 gold?
- UK /ɡəʊld/
- UK [ɡɒʊɫd]
- /ˈɡɒld/
Gold 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: En-uk-gold.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-gold.wav, En-us-gold.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with gold
Also written: guile.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with gold?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as gold from its last stressed vowel (/əʊld/, British pronunciation):
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 gold
- golds plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ☉
- golder comparative
- goldest superlative
- golding participle, present
- golded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gold mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
(uncountable) A heavy yellow elemental metal of great value, with atomic number 79.
- 2
A coin or coinage made of this material, or supposedly so.
The pirates were searching for gold.
- 3
A deep yellow colour, resembling the metal gold.
- 4
The bullseye of an archery target.
Daniel hit the gold to win the contest.
- 5
A gold medal.
France has won three golds and five silvers.
- 6
Anything or anyone that is very valuable.
That food mixer you gave me is absolute gold, mate!
- 7
slangA grill (jewellery worn on front teeth) made of gold.
symbol
- 1
☉ (alchemy)
adjective
- 1
Made of gold.
a gold chain
- 2
Having the colour of gold.
gold sticker
- 3
Premium, superior.
- 4
Of a musical recording, having sold 500,000 copies.
- 5
Subject to or involving a model of open access in which a published article is immediately available for to read for free with no embargo period.
Coordinate term: green
- 6
In a finished state, ready for manufacturing.
verb
- 1
To appear or cause to appear golden.
adverb
- 1
of or referring to a gold version of something
noun
- 1
A member of the Goldi or Nanai people.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gold in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | or , médaille d'or , d’or, doré |
| German | Gold, Goid , golden, gülden , Goldmünze, Goldstück |
| Portuguese | ouro, oiro , medalha de ouro , dobrão, moeda de ouro , dourado |
| Spanish | oro , medalla de oro , de oro, áureo , moneda de oro , diana |
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 gold come from?
From Middle English gold, from Old English gold (“gold”), from Proto-West Germanic *golþ, from Proto-Germanic *gulþą (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰl̥h₃tóm (“gold”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”). Related to yellow; see there for more.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).