guild

/ɡɪld/

//ɡɪld// noun

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

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

The verdict

“guild” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,923 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,923
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interest...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

guild vs gul
60% similar
guild vs gulf
60% similar
guild vs gull
60% similar

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

Key facts for guild
PropertyValue
Headwordguild
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɪld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,923
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “guild” 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). guild 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 guild is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɪld/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,923 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. 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 guild, with forms such as "gguild", "giuld", and "guidl". 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, "gul", "gulf", "gull", 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 gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld. The correct English form is guild, spelled G-U-I-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interests and to provide mutual aid.
  2. 2
    A corporation.
  3. 3
    A group of diverse species that share common characteristics or habits.
  4. 4
    An organized group of players who regularly play together in a multiplayer game.

Etymology

From Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld.

Synonyms

Hansetrade unionunionprofessional association

This word in other languages

germanía(Español)guilde(Français)Gilde(Deutsch)grêmio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gguild,giuld,guidl,guildd,guilld,gulid,ugild

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of guild - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

gguild1giuld2guidl2guildd1guilld1gulid2ugild2
Edit distance from "guild"

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 "guild"?
"guild" is spelled G-U-I-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɪld/.
What does "guild" mean?
As a noun, "guild" means: A group or association mainly of tradespeople made up of merchants, craftspeople, or artisans, particularly in the Middle Ages, established to oversee and protect their specific commercial interest...
What words are commonly confused with "guild"?
"guild" is commonly confused with "gul", "gulf", "gull". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "guild"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "guild" is /ɡɪld/. 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 "guild"?
From Middle English gilde, from Old Norse gildi (“payment, guild”). Related to geld, yield, yauld. 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 “guild”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-U-I-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɪld/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gul” - see the side-by-side comparison. guild vs gul
  • 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