What does guise mean?
Word: Guise
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Guise means the outward form or appearance that someone or something takes, often hiding what is really there.
Synonyms: appearance, form
Sounds like: guys (the plural of guy, an informal word for men)
Word origin: Comes from Old French guise, from a Germanic word.
How do you spell guise?
Syllables: guise
Tricky part: A silent u follows the g, and many students leave it out because nothing in the sound tells them it is there.
Watch out for: gise, giuse
Memory tip: A silent u stands guard after the g here, just as it does in guide and guitar.
Guise in a sentence
Example 1: The prince travelled through the kingdom in the guise of a merchant.
Example 2: Under the guise of helping with homework, my brother watched cartoons.
Example 3: In the play, the fairy appears in the guise of an old woman.
Fun Fact
This word began with a w sound. French often turned an old Germanic w into gu, and the same change gave English the pair ward and guard.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
gui__
a) ce
b) se
c) ss
d) ze
Show answer
b) se. Although you hear a z sound, the word closes with the letters of wise.
Word Fusion
Choose the two parts that make the word described:
Clothes and make-up that hide who you really are: 1. dis 2. re 3. guise 4. gard 5. cover 6. un
a) 1 and 3
b) 2 and 4
c) 1 and 5
d) 6 and 5
Show answer
a) 1 and 3. Only this pair names a costume that hides you; the other pairs mean something else.
Sound Check
Which word rhymes with guise?
a) juice
b) quiz
c) precise
d) prize
Show answer
d) prize. Prize shares the long i and the z sound at the end; the others differ in one or the other.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. guise 2. visage 3. ruse a. a clever trick b. a person's face c. the look that something is made to wear
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
a) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a. One word is about outward look, one about the face and one about a trick.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which words could replace 'in the guise of' in 'He came in the guise of a shepherd'?
a) angry with
b) running from
c) paid by
d) dressed as
Show answer
d) dressed as
2. A hero who visits a village in the guise of a gardener is ___.
a) hoping to become one soon
b) only pretending to be one
c) teaching others to be one
d) truly paid to dig the beds
Show answer
b) only pretending to be one
