Which to use
“def” and “delft” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,138
- “def” frequency rank
- #40,648
- “delft” frequency rank
- 48786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | def | delft |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abbreviation of definition. | Alternative form of Delft (“style of earthenware”). |
Where the eye mixes def and delft
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses def with delft
A purely visual mix-up. def (/dɛf/) and delft ([dɛɫft]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
def is recorded at frequency rank #8,138, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɛf/. delft is at rank #40,648, tagged as anoun, pronounced [dɛɫft].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 48786, this pair ranks #189,783 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of def vs delft
Shared letters: def. Private to "def": -. Private to "delft": lt.
"def" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "delft" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- delft ← ddelft · deflt · delfft · delftt · dellft · deltf · dleft · edlft
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "def" for "delft" ever safe?
Frequency check: "def" vs "delft" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "def" and "delft" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "def" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "delft" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #189,783 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "def" and "delft" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "delft vs dwelt". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #189,783 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.