guru

/ˈɡʊɹuː/

//ˈɡʊɹuː// noun

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

"guru" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“guru” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,340. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,340
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.

Corpus desk

Index EN-guru · guru · English

guru · rank #9,340 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,340
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grams

Nearest frequency peer: grams (-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 “guru”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “guru” 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).

guru vs guy
50% similar
guru vs gut
50% similar
guru vs Gus
25% similar

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

Key facts for guru
PropertyValue
Headwordguru
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʊɹuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,340
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “guru”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gurulands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “grams” (#9,339), “hacked” (#9,341), “globally” (#9,338). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “guru” is #9,340. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around guru (IPA /ˈɡʊɹuː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,340 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for guru, with forms such as "gguru", "gruu", and "gurru". 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, "guy", "gut", "Gus", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology b… The correct English form is guru, spelled G-U-R-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
  2. 2
    Any general teacher (as a term of respect).
  3. 3
    An influential advisor or mentor.
  4. 4
    A fraudster or conman relying on a projected air of confidence in an obscure field.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When the gooroo arrives at the house of a disciple, the whole family prostrate themselves at his feet, and the spiritual guide puts his right foot on the heads of the prostrate family.
  2. The Baiga magicians derive from the old guru who succeeded Nanga Baiga. There is very great confusion about the original guru, and how he was actually related to Nanga Baiga, but there is general agreement that there were originally four great Baiga guru—Daugun, Nindhan, Danantar and Madhakawar, all four brothers.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed etymology based on the Advayataraka Upanishad (line 16) describes the syllables gu as “darkness” and ru as “destroyer”, thus ascribing the meaning of “one who destroys/dispels darkness” to the word.

This word in other languages

gurú(Español)guru(Français)Guru(Deutsch)guru(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gguru
  • gruu
  • gurru
  • guur
  • ugru

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gguru1gruu2gurru1guur2ugru2
Edit distance from "guru"

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 "guru"?
"guru" is spelled G-U-R-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʊɹuː/.
What does "guru" mean?
As a noun, "guru" means: In Indian traditions: a spiritual teacher who transmits knowledge to a shishya.
What words are commonly confused with "guru"?
"guru" is commonly confused with "guy", "gut", "Gus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "guru"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "guru" is /ˈɡʊɹuː/. 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 "guru"?
Borrowed from Hindi गुरु (guru) / Punjabi ਗੁਰੂ (gurū), from Sanskrit गुरु (guru, “venerable, respectable”), originally "heavy" and in this sense cognate to English grieve and, more distantly, brute. Doublet of grave. A traditional, though flawed e... 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 "guru", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hans#9,342Eden#9,325lace#9,355Dana#9,313

Similar misspelling depth

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

cube5 variantspier5 variantsquiz5 variantsbats5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list