Guildford

/ˈɡɪlfəd/

//ˈɡɪlfəd// name

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

"guildford" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Guildford” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,861 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#27,861
frequency rank, English
9
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large town, the county town of Surrey, England.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Guildford vs Guilford
89% similar

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

Key facts for Guildford
PropertyValue
HeadwordGuildford
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɡɪlfəd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,861
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Guildford” 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). Guildford 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 Guildford is 9 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɪlfəd/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,861 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Guildford, with forms such as "gguildford", "giuldford", and "guidlford". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Guilford", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The root of the first part may be gold rather than guild: the only known 10th-century (Saxon) record uses Guldeford and in the 11th century Geldeford, both equivalent to gold ford. Local historians suggest that this might refer to golden-coloured flowers or… The correct English form is Guildford, spelled G-U-I-L-D-F-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large town, the county town of Surrey, England.
  2. 2
    A local government district with borough status in Surrey, England, formed in 1974, with its headquarters in the county town.
  3. 3
    A suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
  4. 4
    A former railway station in Tasmania, Australia.
  5. 5
    A locality in Waratah-Wynyard council area, north western Tasmania, Australia.
  6. 6
    A town in the Shire of Mount Alexander and the Shire of Hepburn, central Victoria, Australia
  7. 7
    A suburb of Perth in the City of Swan, Western Australia.
  8. 8
    A neighbourhood of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
  9. 9
    A surname.

Etymology

The root of the first part may be gold rather than guild: the only known 10th-century (Saxon) record uses Guldeford and in the 11th century Geldeford, both equivalent to gold ford. Local historians suggest that this might refer to golden-coloured flowers or sand.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gguildford,giuldford,guidlford,guilddford,guildfford,guildfodr,guildfordd,guildforrd,guildfrod,guildofrd,guilfdord,guilldford,gulidford,ugildford

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Guildford - 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.

gguildford1giuldford2guidlford2guilddford1guildfford1guildfodr2guildfordd1guildforrd1
Edit distance from "Guildford"

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 "Guildford"?
"Guildford" is spelled G-U-I-L-D-F-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɪlfəd/.
What does "Guildford" mean?
As a proper noun, "Guildford" means: A large town, the county town of Surrey, England.
What words are commonly confused with "Guildford"?
"Guildford" is commonly confused with "Guilford". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Guildford"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Guildford" is /ˈɡɪlfəd/. 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 "Guildford"?
The root of the first part may be gold rather than guild: the only known 10th-century (Saxon) record uses Guldeford and in the 11th century Geldeford, both equivalent to gold ford. Local historians suggest that this might refer to golden-coloured ... 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 “Guildford”

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

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