Guy vs. Gal — What's the Difference?

A male person.

A term used in casual contexts.

A term referring to a person irrespective of gender (colloquial).

Often used in southern American English as a friendly term.

A man

A female person.

A figure representing Guy Fawkes, burnt on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night, and often displayed by children begging for money for fireworks.

An informal term for a woman.

A rope or line fixed to the ground to secure a tent or other structure.

A colloquial and often affectionate term for a young woman.

Make fun of; ridicule

A woman or girl.

Secure with a guy or guys

The centimeter-gram-second unit of acceleration, equal to one centimeter per second per second, used especially in the measurement of gravity.

A rope, cord, or cable used to steady, guide, or secure something.

Abbreviation of gallon

(Informal) A man; a fellow.

(colloquial) A young woman.

Guys(Informal) Persons of either sex.

A galileo unit of acceleration.

Chiefly British A person of odd or grotesque appearance or dress.

United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters

Often Guy An effigy of Guy Fawkes paraded through the streets of English towns and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.

A unit of gravitational acceleration equal to one centimeter per second per second (named after Galileo)

To steady, guide, or secure with a rope, cord, or cable.

Alliterative term for girl (or woman)

To hold up to ridicule; mock.

(British) An effigy of a man burned on a bonfire on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (5th November).

(dated) A person of eccentric appearance or dress; a "fright".

(colloquial) A man, fellow.

A person see usage notes.

Character, personality (not referring to a person, but pretending to)

Buster, Mack, fella, bud, man.

A guide; a leader or conductor.

A support rope or cable used to aid in hoisting or lowering.

A support to secure or steady structures prone to shift their position or be carried away (e.g. the mast of a ship or a suspension bridge).

(intransitive) To exhibit an effigy of Guy Fawkes around the 5th November.

(transitive) To make fun of, to ridicule with wit or innuendo.

To play in a comedic manner.

To equip with a support cable.

A rope, chain, or rod attached to anything to steady it; as: a rope to steady or guide an object which is being hoisted or lowered; a rope which holds in place the end of a boom, spar, or yard in a ship; a chain or wire rope connecting a suspension bridge with the land on either side to prevent lateral swaying; a rod or rope attached to the top of a structure, as of a derrick, and extending obliquely to the ground, where it is fastened.

A grotesque effigy, like that of Guy Fawkes, dressed up in England on the fifth of November, the day of the Gunpowder Plot.

A person of queer looks or dress.

A man or young man; a fellow; - usually contrasted with gals or girls as, it was fun for both the guys and gals; the guys were watching football while the girls played bridge.

A member of a group of either sex, usually a friend or comrade; - usually used in the pl.; as, tell the guys to come inside; are any of you guys interested in a game of tennis?.

To steady or guide with a guy.

To fool; to baffle; to make (a person) an object of ridicule.

An informal term for a youth or man;

An effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day

A rope or cable that is used to brace something (especially a tent)

Subject to laughter or ridicule;

Steady or support with with a guy wire or cable;

An informal term for a man.

A figure representing Guy Fawkes.

A tensioned cable (like a guy wire).

Yes, like a "guy wire" used for stabilization.

"Guy" is more universally used, while "gal" is somewhat regional or nostalgic.

Some might find "gal" a bit old-fashioned, but it's still understood and used.

Yes, its origin traces back to the effigies of Guy Fawkes.

While traditionally for males, in colloquial American English, "guys" can address a mixed group.

No, "gal" is informal, typically used in casual speech.

Yes, in formal contexts, "woman" or "lady" would be more appropriate.

"Gal" might be heard more in southern American English as a friendly term.

In casual American speech, "you guys" can be gender-neutral.

Yes, "gal" is believed to be a slang alteration of "girl."

Yes, many older songs or country tunes might use "gal" in their lyrics.

While often referring to younger women, it can be used for any age, depending on context.

Many languages have informal terms for men and women, though they differ in usage and connotation.

Both are informal, e.g., "I met this guy at a cafe" or "She's a gal from my school."

"Guy" is singular, but "guys" can be used plurally or to address a group.