slide

/slaɪd/

//slaɪd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“slide” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,335 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,335
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

slide vs slip
60% similar
slide vs slim
60% similar
slide vs slit
60% similar

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

Key facts for slide
PropertyValue
Headwordslide
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/slaɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,335
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “slide” 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). slide 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 slide is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /slaɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,335 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 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 slide, with forms such as "lside", "silde", and "sldie". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "slip", "slim", "slit", 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 sliden, from Old English slīdan (“to slide”), from Proto-West Germanic *slīdan, from Proto-Germanic *slīdaną (“to slide, glide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sléydʰ-e-ti, from *sleydʰ- (“slippery”). Cognate with Old High German slītan (“to… The correct English form is slide, spelled S-L-I-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.
  2. 2
    To move on a low-friction surface.
  3. 3
    To drop down and skid into a base.
  4. 4
    To lose one’s balance on a slippery surface.
  5. 5
    To pass or put imperceptibly; to slip.
  6. 6
    To subtly direct a facial expression at (someone).
  7. 7
    To pass inadvertently.
  8. 8
    To pass along smoothly or unobservedly; to move gently onward without friction or hindrance.
  9. 9
    To decrease in amount or value.
  10. 10
    To smoothly pass from one note to another by bending the pitch upwards or downwards.
  11. 11
    To ride down snowy hills upon a toboggan or similar object for recreation.
  12. 12
    To go; to move from one place or to another.
  13. 13
    To kick so that the ball slides along the ground with little or no turning.

Etymology

From Middle English sliden, from Old English slīdan (“to slide”), from Proto-West Germanic *slīdan, from Proto-Germanic *slīdaną (“to slide, glide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sléydʰ-e-ti, from *sleydʰ- (“slippery”). Cognate with Old High German slītan (“to slide”) (whence German schlittern), Middle Low German slīden (“to slide”), Middle Dutch slīden (“to slide”) (whence Dutch slijderen, frequentative of now obsolete slijden), Vedic Sanskrit स्रेधति (srédhati, “to err, blunder”).

This word in other languages

deslizar(Español)glisser(Français)gleiten(Deutsch)deslizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: lside,silde,sldie,slidde,slied,sllide,sslide

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of slide - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lside2silde2sldie2slidde1slied2sllide1sslide1
Edit distance from "slide"

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 "slide"?
"slide" is spelled S-L-I-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /slaɪd/.
What does "slide" mean?
As a verb, "slide" means: To (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.
What words are commonly confused with "slide"?
"slide" is commonly confused with "slip", "slim", "slit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "slide"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "slide" is /slaɪd/. 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 "slide"?
From Middle English sliden, from Old English slīdan (“to slide”), from Proto-West Germanic *slīdan, from Proto-Germanic *slīdaną (“to slide, glide”), from Proto-Indo-European *sléydʰ-e-ti, from *sleydʰ- (“slippery”). Cognate with Old High German s... 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 “slide”

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

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