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 the spelling includes the U after the G — a pattern that trips up many English speakers who expect a different letter order. In English dictionaries, there is only one accepted spelling, and it ends with R, not E.

The most common misspelling is "guitare" (adding an E at the end), which reflects how the word is spelled in French and some other languages. In English, the word ends with R, not E. Other frequent mistakes include "guiter", "guittar" (with double T), and "gitar" (dropping the U). Each of these errors comes from a different source — borrowed spelling patterns, mishearing, or assumptions about English phonetics.

Key Takeaways

  • Guitar is spelled G-U-I-T-A-R with no E at the end, even though French and other languages add one.
  • The U comes directly after the G because the word originates from Spanish "guitarra" and Portuguese "guitarra".
  • Common wrong spellings include "guitare", "guiter", and "guittar" (with double T), each stemming from different sources of confusion.
  • Remembering that guitar rhymes with "car" and ends in R, not E, can help you avoid the most frequent mistake.
  • The spelling never changes whether you are writing about electric guitar, acoustic guitar, or the plural guitars.

Why the U after G matters

In English, the letter G followed by A, E, or I usually makes a soft sound (like in "gem" or "giant"). When you want a hard G sound (like in "go" or "gap"), you often need a U to follow it. That U tells your brain to pronounce the G as a hard sound, not a soft one.

In guitar, the G is hard, so the U is there to signal that. Without it, the word would look like "gitar", which would suggest a soft G sound that does not match how the word is actually pronounced. This is why the U is not optional — it is a necessary part of the spelling that controls how English readers interpret the sound of the first letter.

The same rule appears in other English words: "guard", "guess", "guide", and "guilt" all use U after G to keep the hard sound. Guitar follows the same pattern, even though it is borrowed from another language.

Common spelling mistakes to avoid

The most frequent error is adding an E at the end: "guitare". This happens because French, Italian, and Spanish all spell it with a final E, and many English speakers have seen the word written that way in other languages or in borrowed contexts. If you have studied French or seen guitar written in European contexts, this mistake is straightforward to make.

Another mistake is doubling the T: "guittar". This usually comes from mishearing the word or assuming that because the vowel before the T is short, the T must be doubled. In English, guitar has only one T. The vowel before it is the A, which is short, but that does not trigger doubling the way it does in words like "sitting" or "running".

A third error is dropping the U entirely: "gitar". This removes the signal that the G should be hard, and it also looks incomplete to anyone familiar with the correct spelling. This mistake often happens when people type quickly or rely on autocorrect that does not recognize the word.

How to remember the spelling

One memory trick is to connect guitar to its Spanish origin: "guitarra". If you remember that English dropped the double R and the final A, you can reconstruct the English spelling. The Spanish word is pronounced the same way, so thinking of the original can anchor the spelling in your mind.

Another approach is to remember that guitar ends in R, just like the word "car". Both are things you can hold or sit in, and both end with the same letter. This can help you avoid the "guitare" mistake, which is the most common one.

You can also break the word into chunks: G-U (the hard G sound), I-T (the middle), A-R (the ending). Saying it aloud in chunks can help the spelling stick, especially if you emphasize the U after the G.

Spelling in different contexts

In English, the spelling is always G-U-I-T-A-R, whether you are writing formally or casually. There is no alternate spelling accepted in standard English dictionaries. Spell-check tools in word processors will flag "guitare", "guittar", and other variations as errors.

When you encounter "guitare" in English text, it is either a direct quote from another language, a stylistic choice by the writer, or a mistake. In your own writing, stick with the English spelling: guitar. This applies to emails, social media, formal documents, and any other context where English is the language of communication.

Related words and their spelling

Words related to guitar follow similar patterns. A person who plays guitar is a guitarist (G-U-I-T-A-R-I-S-T), not a "guitarer". The adjective form is guitarlike or sometimes guitar-shaped, both keeping the core spelling intact.

Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and bass guitar all use the same spelling for the base word. The type of guitar comes before or after, but the word guitar itself never changes. The plural is guitars, formed by straightforward adding S to the end. You might also see compound terms like "guitar player", "guitar lesson", or "guitar string", all of which use the standard spelling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is "guitare" ever correct in English?

No. "Guitare" is the spelling in French, Spanish, and Portuguese, but in English the word is always spelled "guitar" without the final E. If you see "guitare" in English text, it is either borrowed directly from another language or a spelling error.

Why do people spell it "guittar" with two T's?

Doubling the T is a common mistake when people mishear the word or assume the vowel before the T is short enough to require a double consonant. In English, guitar has only one T. The vowel before it is the A, which is short, but that does not trigger doubling the way it does in words like "sitting" or "running".

Does the spelling change for electric guitar or acoustic guitar?

No. The word guitar is spelled the same way regardless of the type. You write "electric guitar" and "acoustic guitar", but the base word guitar never changes its spelling.

What is the correct way to spell the plural?

The plural of guitar is guitars (G-U-I-T-A-R-S). You straightforward add an S to the end. There is no change to the base spelling, and no alternate plural forms exist in English.