# deal

> English word · Noun · IPA /diːl/ · frequency rank #477

## Definitions
1. A division, a portion, a share, a part, a piece.
2. An indefinite quantity or amount; a lot (now usually qualified by great or good).

## Etymology
From Middle English del, dele, from Old English dǣl (“part, share, portion”), from Proto-West Germanic *daili, from Proto-Germanic *dailiz (“part, deal”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰ(h₁)-oy-lo- (“part, watershed”). Cognate with Scots dele (“part, portion”), West Frisian diel (“part, share”), Dutch deel (“part, share, portion”), German Teil (“part, portion, section”), Danish, Slovene, and Swedish del (“part”), Icelandic deila (“division, contention”), Gothic 𐌳𐌰𐌹𐌻𐍃 (dails, “portion”). Related to Old English dāl (“portion”). More at dole.

## Easily confused with
- **DL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dl)
- **DNA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dna)
- **del** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-del)
- **Dec** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dec)
- **Des** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-des)
- **der** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-der)
- **den** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-den)
- **def** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-def)
- **dem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dem)
- **Dee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dee)
- **dev** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dev)
- **dew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dew)
- **DEI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dei)
- **dex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dex)
- **deb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-deb)
- **dey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dey)
- **deo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-deo)
- **dep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dep)
- **dol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dol)
- **DSL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/deal-vs-dsl)

## Common misspellings (5)
`dael`, `ddeal`, `deall`, `dela`, `edal`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/deal