guile
/ɡaɪl/noun, verb
guile is spelled G-U-I-L-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, guile means “Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of guile is guiles.
How many letters and syllables are in guile?
| Letters | 5: G-U-I-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,336th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is guile?
Guile appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,336th 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 guile?
- /ɡaɪl/
Guile has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-guile.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with guile
Also written: gold.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of guile
- guiles plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- guiling participle, present
- guiled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does guile mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception.
- 2
Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.
- 3
obsoleteObsolete form of gold.
- 4
Alternative form of gyle.
verb
- 1
To deceive, beguile, bewile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Guile in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ruse, fourberie , tromperie , tromper, entourlouper |
| German | Gerissenheit, Hinterhältigkeit , Hinterlist, Täuschung, Betrug , irreleiten |
| Portuguese | astúcia |
| Spanish | astucia , trampa, engaño |
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 guile come from?
From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”), from Frankish *wīl (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with wile.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).