# deft vs del

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### deft
*adjective · IPA /dɛft/ · frequency rank #34,012*
Quick and neat in action; skillful.

### del
*noun · IPA /dɛl/ · frequency rank #4,150*
The symbol ∇ used to denote the gradient operator.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deft-vs-del