Ready to be protected from one of the most commonly misspelled words? It’s time to learn the correct spelling in the gaurd vs. guard vs. gard quandary, in order to write the word that means “to watch over” or “a protector!”
As background, my name is Ms. Marshall and I’ve been an English teacher for almost twenty years now! I delight in hand-illustrating and explaining lessons such as “Friend vs. Freind” to help people of all ages become more confident in their spelling. On to the tutorial…
Gaurd vs. Guard or Gard
In order to correctly write the word that means “protector” (noun) or “to protect” (verb), is the correct spelling gaurd, guard, or gard? Luckily, the answer is very straightforward.
Gaurd Doesn’t Exist!
The correct spelling is “guard” with a U-A after the “G.” The word “gaurd” with A-U doesn’t exist and shouldn’t be used at all! It is a figment of the imagination like “fushia” or the maddeningly frequent typo, “everytime,” and needs to be tossed in the trash can.
Meanwhile, the spelling “gard” is so old-fashioned and obscure as to be essentially never used. In short, the correct spelling you’re looking for is “guard” — not gaurd or gard.
A Spelling Memory Trick
How can you remember that “guard” with a “U-A” is the correct spelling, even though it seems a tad counterintuitive with regards to the pronunciation and silent “U” of the word? Look to my illustration, above, for assistance in this dilemma.
In my cartoon, the “U” is standing in front of the “A” and protecting her by throwing up its arms, while declaring, “I will guard you from accidentally writing the misspelling, gaurd!” This can help you remember that the “U” comes before the “A” because the “U” has protective arms, and almost looks like a defense moat for a castle, which helps guard it.
VIDEO: How to Spell Guard
Gaurd vs. Guard or Gard, in Sum
Whether (not weither) or not you’re learning English or have been speaking it all your life, I hope this lesson on the trickly spelling of guard vs. gaurd or gard has been helpful. I’m grateful (not greatful) for you stopping by to read, and look forward to your comments, below, about what else you’d like me to illustrate and teach!
Want more? If you’ve enjoyed this English lesson, definitely check out some of my other offerings:
- Is the spelling weither, whether, or weather?
- Do you write the number “90” as ninety or ninty?
- Is recieve or receive the correct way to spell the word that means “to get?”
- For an animal that’s highly nervous, are they “skiddish” or “skittish?”
- Do you write lens or lense?
- Is it believe or beleive?
The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
