guide

/ɡaɪd/

//ɡaɪd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“guide” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,829. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,829
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who guides, especially someone hired to show people around a place or an institution and offer information and explanation, or to lead them through dangerous terrain.

Corpus desk

Index EN-guide · guide · English

guide · rank #1,829 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,829
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH frank

Nearest frequency peer: frank (-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 “guide”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “guide” 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).

guide vs guilt
60% similar
guide vs guild
60% similar
guide vs guise
80% similar

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

Key facts for guide
PropertyValue
Headwordguide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡaɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,829
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “guide”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).guidelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “frank” (#1,828), “images” (#1,830), “fly” (#1,827). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “guide” is #1,829. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around guide (IPA /ɡaɪd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,829 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for guide, with forms such as "gguide", "giude", and "gudie". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "guilt", "guild", "guise", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: c. 1325–75. From Middle English guide, from the Old French guide, from Old Occitan guida, from guidar, from Frankish *wītan (“to show the way, lead”), from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“to see, know; go, depart”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”)… The correct English form is guide, spelled G-U-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who guides, especially someone hired to show people around a place or an institution and offer information and explanation, or to lead them through dangerous terrain.
  2. 2
    A document or book that offers information or instruction; guidebook.
  3. 3
    A sign that guides people; guidepost.
  4. 4
    Any marking or object that catches the eye to provide quick reference.
  5. 5
    Synonym of legend, a key to symbols, abbreviations, and terms on a map, chart, etc.
  6. 6
    A device that guides part of a machine, or guides motion or action.
  7. 7
    A device that guides part of a machine, or guides motion or action.
  8. 8
    A device that guides part of a machine, or guides motion or action.
  9. 9
    A spirit believed to speak through a medium.
  10. 10
    A member of a group marching in formation who sets the pattern of movement or alignment for the rest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The guide led us around the museum and explained the exhibits.
  2. He will be our guide, even unto death.

Etymology

c. 1325–75. From Middle English guide, from the Old French guide, from Old Occitan guida, from guidar, from Frankish *wītan (“to show the way, lead”), from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“to see, know; go, depart”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see, know”). Cognate with Old English wītan (“to see, take heed to, watch after, guard, keep”). Related also to English wit.

Synonyms

interpreter

This word in other languages

guía(Español)guide(Français)Reiseleiter(Deutsch)guia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gguide
  • giude
  • gudie
  • guidde
  • guied
  • ugide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of guide - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

gguide1giude2gudie2guidde1guied2ugide2
Edit distance from "guide"

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 "guide"?
"guide" is spelled G-U-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡaɪd/.
What does "guide" mean?
As a noun, "guide" means: Someone who guides, especially someone hired to show people around a place or an institution and offer information and explanation, or to lead them through dangerous terrain.
What words are commonly confused with "guide"?
"guide" is commonly confused with "guilt", "guild", "guise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "guide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "guide" is /ɡaɪd/. 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 "guide"?
c. 1325–75. From Middle English guide, from the Old French guide, from Old Occitan guida, from guidar, from Frankish *wītan (“to show the way, lead”), from Proto-Germanic *wītaną (“to see, know; go, depart”), from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to s... 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 "guide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

frank#1,828raise#1,836cells#1,814treat#1,844

Similar misspelling depth

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

farm6 variantsdont6 variantsdress6 variantsalive6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list