Which to use
“delegate” is a noun and “delete” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,197
- “delegate” frequency rank
- #4,935
- “delete” frequency rank
- 16132
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delegate | delete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy. | To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set delegate and delete apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
delegate and delete form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16132, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
delegate is recorded at frequency rank #11,197, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɛlɪɡət/. delete is at rank #4,935, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈliːt/.
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 16132, this pair ranks #459,681 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "delegate" and "delete" be used interchangeably?
Remembering delegate vs delete
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “delegate”; for a verb, it's “delete”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “delegate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable