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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,335. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,335
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To (cause to) move in continuous contact with a surface.

Corpus desk

Index EN-slide · slide · English

slide · rank #4,335 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,335
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH similarly

Nearest frequency peer: similarly (-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 “slide”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “slide” 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).

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)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “slide”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).slidelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “similarly” (#4,334), “stem” (#4,336), “shield” (#4,333). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “slide” is #4,335. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around slide (IPA /slaɪd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,335 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He slid the boat across the grass.
  2. The safe slid slowly.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "slide", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sauce#4,330tiger#4,340ruled#4,328rated#4,324

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

summit7 variantscited7 variantshurts7 variantsdated7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list