Which to use
“delaying” is a noun and “delving” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,342
- “delaying” frequency rank
- #37,881
- “delving” frequency rank
- 55223
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delaying | delving |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A delay. | present participle and gerund of delve |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set delaying and delving apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: delaying is anoun and delvingaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55223, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
delaying is recorded at frequency rank #17,342, classified as anoun. delving is at rank #37,881, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈdɛlvɪŋ/.
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 55223, this pair ranks #135,216 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of delaying vs delving
Shared letters: degiln. Private to "delaying": ay. Private to "delving": v.
"delaying" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVVCC · "delving" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "delaying" and "delving" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "delaying" or "delving"?
Remembering delaying vs delving
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “delaying”; for a verb, it's “delving”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “delaying” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable