# guile

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡaɪl/ · frequency rank #39,341

## Definitions
1. Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception.
2. Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **gul** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gul)
- **gulf** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gulf)
- **gull** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gull)
- **gulp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gulp)
- **gurl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gurl)
- **guilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-guilt)
- **guise** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-guise)
- **gully** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gully)
- **gulls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-gulls)
- **guilty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-guilty)
- **Guinea** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guile-vs-guinea)
- **Gil** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gil-vs-guile)
- **GUI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gui-vs-guile)
- **give** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/give-vs-guile)
- **gill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gill-vs-guile)
- **gale** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gale-vs-guile)
- **Gail** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gail-vs-guile)
- **gilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gilt-vs-guile)
- **gila** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gila-vs-guile)
- **guide** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/guide-vs-guile)

## Common misspellings (6)
`gguile`, `giule`, `guiel`, `guille`, `gulie`, `ugile`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/guile