Which to use
“deliver” and “derive” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,724
- “deliver” frequency rank
- #14,737
- “derive” frequency rank
- 17461
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deliver | derive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To set free from restraint or danger. | To obtain or receive (something) from something else. |
Where the eye mixes deliver and derive
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. deliver (/dɪˈlɪvə(ɹ)/) and derive (/dɪˈɹaɪv/) 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 17461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
deliver is recorded at frequency rank #2,724, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈlɪvə(ɹ)/. derive is at rank #14,737, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈɹaɪv/.
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 17461, this pair ranks #451,276 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of deliver vs derive
Shared letters: deirv. Private to "deliver": l. Private to "derive": -.
"deliver" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "derive" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV