The correct spelling is G-U-I-T-A-R
Guitar is spelled with six letters: G, U, I, T, A, R. The word comes from Spanish and Portuguese, which is why it has that unusual "ui" combination in the middle instead of just a single vowel. If you're writing about the instrument or looking it up, that's the spelling you'll find in every dictionary and on every product label.
The tricky part for most people is the "ui" — it looks like it should be "gu" or "ga" instead. But the "ui" is what makes it a guitar and not something else. Once you see it spelled out a few times, it becomes automatic.
Key Takeaways
- Guitar is spelled G-U-I-T-A-R, with the "ui" combination being the part most people second-guess.
- The word entered English from Spanish and Portuguese, which is why the spelling looks different from most English instrument names.
- A memory trick is to think "G-U-I" as a unit, then "T-A-R" — breaking it into chunks makes it stick.
- Common misspellings include "guiter," "guitare," and "gitar," but none of these appear in standard dictionaries.
Why the "UI" throws people off
English doesn't use "ui" very often. Most English words with a "u" sound followed by an "i" sound use different letter combinations — like "quit" (qu-i) or "suit" (s-u-i-t, but that's different). Guitar's "ui" is borrowed directly from the Romance languages, where that combination is more common.
When you say the word out loud, you don't hear the "ui" as two separate sounds — you hear "gih-TAR" or "gih-TAHR" depending on your accent. That's why your ear doesn't help you spell it. You have to remember the spelling as a visual pattern, not as a sound.
This disconnect between how a word sounds and how it's spelled is one of the biggest reasons people misspell it. Your brain is trying to match letters to sounds, but guitar doesn't work that way. The spelling is a historical artifact that English kept from its Romance language origins.
Common misspellings and why they happen
The most common wrong spellings are "guiter" (dropping the "a"), "guitare" (adding an "e" at the end like French), and "gitar" (replacing "ui" with just "i"). Each one makes sense if you're guessing based on how English usually works, but none of them are correct.
"Guiter" is probably the most frequent mistake because it looks like it could be a real English word — similar to "computer" or "router." But guitar has always kept its "a" before the final "r." The "guitare" spelling shows up when people are thinking of the French word, which does end in "e." And "gitar" happens when someone tries to simplify the "ui" into a single vowel, which is a natural instinct but wrong.
Spell-checkers will flag all of these as incorrect. If you're typing and your word processor underlines a spelling in red, that's your signal to check — and the correct spelling is always guitar.
A memory trick that works
Break the word into three chunks: "G-U-I" / "T-A" / "R". Say it as "Goo-ee-tar" in your head, even though you don't pronounce it that way. The visual separation helps your brain lock in the correct letters in the correct order.
Another approach: remember that guitar comes from Spanish guitarra. If you know any Spanish or have heard the word in Spanish, that longer form can help you remember where the "a" goes in English. The Spanish version has two r's and an extra "a," but the English version simplified it to one "r" and kept the single "a" in the middle.
Where you'll see the correct spelling
Guitar appears the same way on instrument labels, in music stores, on sheet music, in song lyrics, in music magazines, and in every major dictionary. If you're writing for school, work, or any formal purpose, G-U-I-T-A-R is the only spelling that will be marked correct.
Product names, brand names, and official documents all use this spelling. When you're shopping for a guitar online or in a store, the search results and product pages all spell it the same way. Consistency across all these sources makes it straightforward to verify when you're unsure.
Related words that use the same root
Guitarist (G-U-I-T-A-R-I-S-T) is someone who plays guitar. Guitaring is the act of playing. Both keep the same "gui" start as the base word. Once you know how to spell guitar, these related words follow the same pattern.
In other languages, the spelling changes slightly — Spanish uses "guitarra," French uses "guitare," and Italian uses "chitarra" — but in English, it's always guitar. If you're reading text in another language, you'll see different spellings, but when you're writing in English, guitar is the only correct form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it ever spelled "guitare" in English?
No. "Guitare" is the French spelling, but English uses "guitar." If you see "guitare" in English text, it's either a mistake or it's being used as a French word in a specific context, like a French song title or a French restaurant name.
Why does guitar have that weird "ui" in it?
The word came into English from Spanish guitarra and Portuguese guitarra, which both have that "ui" combination. English kept the original spelling instead of changing it to match English patterns, the way we did with words like "pizza" or "karate."
What's the most common way people misspell it?
Most people write "guiter" — leaving out the "a" before the final "r." It's an straightforward mistake because "guiter" looks like it could be a real English word, similar to "computer." But the correct spelling always includes that "a": guitar.
Do I need to memorize this, or can I just look it up?
Looking it up is always fine. But if you write or type the word often, the correct spelling will become automatic after you see it a few times. The memory trick of breaking it into "G-U-I" / "T-A" / "R" helps it stick faster.
Why is the spelling so different from how it sounds?
Guitar is one of many English words borrowed from other languages that kept their original spelling. The "ui" doesn't match how English usually works, which is why it feels strange. Your brain expects the spelling to match the sound, but with borrowed words, the spelling often stays the way it was in the original language.