Which to use
“delete” and “dilute” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,935
- “delete” frequency rank
- #22,951
- “dilute” frequency rank
- 27886
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delete | dilute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device. | To make thinner by adding solvent to a solution, especially by adding water. |
Where the eye mixes delete and dilute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between delete and dilute
A purely visual mix-up. delete (/dɪˈliːt/) and dilute (/daɪˈljuːt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27886, 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/. dilute is at rank #22,951, tagged as averb, pronounced /daɪˈljuːt/.
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 27886, this pair ranks #375,335 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of delete vs dilute
Shared letters: delt. Private to "delete": -. Private to "dilute": iu.
"delete" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "dilute" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "delete" and "dilute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "delete" or "dilute"?
What to do next
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 "dilute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #375,335 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "delete" and "dilute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dilute vs disuse". 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 #375,335 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.