The U in guess, guard and guitar is silent on purpose: it keeps the G hard, so it says g and not j.
The U in guess, guard and guitar is silent on purpose: it keeps the G hard, so the G says "g" and not "j".
guess: GES (rhymes with less)
guard: GARD (rhymes with card)
guitar: gi-TAR (the end rhymes with far)
Nobody says a W: not gwess, and not gwitar.
Look at the first letters: G-U-E-S-S. A U sits right next to the G, and it makes no sound at all.
spelling: guess, guard, guitar
sound: ges, gard, gi-tar
It looks like it could say "gw", like in language. It does not.
The letter G has two sounds. Before E, I or Y it is often soft, like J: gem, giant, gym. Before other letters it is hard: go, gap, game.
So the spelling GE or GI can be a problem. Is it gem or get? A silent U solves it. Put it between the G and the vowel, and the G stays hard. It works like a bodyguard.
A dictionary says this silent U was added in Middle English, especially in words that came from French.
Can you guess my favourite colour?
The guard stood by the castle gate.
Mia plays the guitar on Saturdays.
Please be my guest at the party.
A guide showed us round the museum.
The puppy looked guilty about the missing sock.
Guard and ward sound different, but they come from the same old word. An old Germanic W sound turned into GU when the word passed into French. Another French dialect, from the north, kept the W. English borrowed both versions.
guard and ward
guarantee and warranty
Same ancestor, two routes into English. They are word twins.
The bodyguard is not on duty everywhere. Words like get, give and gear have a hard G before a vowel, and no U at all. These words came from Scandinavian languages, and they did not take the U.
Sometimes the U is said. In language and penguin, you hear a GW sound: LANG-gwij and PENG-gwin. So check each word.
Don't say a W.
❌ GWESS, GWARD
✅ GES, GARD
Keep the U when you write.
❌ ges, gard, gitar
✅ guess, guard, guitar
Not every GU is silent.
❌ LANG-ij
✅ LANG-gwij
Sam: Why is there a U in guess?
Mia: It's a bodyguard for the G.
Sam: What is the G afraid of?
Mia: Turning into a J.
Middle English gessen (about 1300): to estimate
↓ Middle English: a silent U is added after G in some words, to keep the G hard
↓ late 1500s: guess gets its gu- spelling
↓ 1620s: guitar arrives in English
↓ today: said GES, GARD, gi-TAR
A silent U can be a bodyguard. After a G, it keeps the sound hard, so the G does not turn into a J.
When you see GU before E or I, the U is often there to guard a plain G. Check words like penguin, where the U is said. For another silent letter with a story, read the silent G.
Bodyguard on duty.
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