Which to use
“delete” and “delve” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,935
- “delete” frequency rank
- #24,139
- “delve” frequency rank
- 29074
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delete | delve |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device. | To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel. |
Where the eye mixes delete and delve
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: delete vs delve
A purely visual mix-up. delete (/dɪˈliːt/) and delve (/dɛlv/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
delete is recorded at frequency rank #4,935, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈliːt/. delve is at rank #24,139, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɛlv/.
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 29074, this pair ranks #366,036 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of delete vs delve
Shared letters: del. Private to "delete": t. Private to "delve": v.
"delete" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "delve" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "delete" for "delve" ever safe?
Which is more common, "delete" or "delve"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "delete" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "delve" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #366,036 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "delete" and "delve" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "delve vs delved". 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 #366,036 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.