Delaware

Name: Delaware, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/

//ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)// name

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Delaware” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,270. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,270
frequency rank, English: 26,416
“D” headwords: 11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A river flowing from the Catskills through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the northeastern United States and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Delaware Bay.

Key facts for Delaware
Property	Value
Headword	Delaware
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#8,270
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Delaware” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Delaware lands here:

#8,270

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Delaware (IPA /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #8,270 among 26,416 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Delaware, with forms such as "ddelaware", "dealware", and "delaawre". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The river in the northeastern United States was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). The people and the state were named for the river. The correct English form is Delaware, spelled D-E-L-A-W-A-R-E.

Definition

1
A river flowing from the Catskills through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the northeastern United States and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Delaware Bay.
2
The Lenape people, the indigenous people of Lenapehoking, in what is now the Mid-Atlantic United States.
3
Two closely related Algonquian languages of these people, Munsee and Unami.
4
The first state of the United States. Capital: Dover. Largest city: Wilmington.
5
A river in the United States that flows from northeast Kansas into the Kansas River.
6
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
7
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
8
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
9
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
10
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
11
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
12
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
13
Several places in the United States, named for the people or the state.
14
A community in Ontario, Canada.
15
A surname.

Etymology

The river in the northeastern United States was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). The people and the state were named for the river.

This word in other languages

Delaware(Español)Delaware(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ddelaware
dealware
delaawre
delawaer
delawarre
delawrae
delawware
dellaware
delwaare
dleaware
edlaware

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Delaware - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "Delaware"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Delaware"?

"Delaware" is spelled D-E-L-A-W-A-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/.

What does "Delaware" mean?

As a proper noun, "Delaware" means: A river flowing from the Catskills through New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in the northeastern United States and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Delaware Bay.

What are common misspellings of "Delaware"?

Common misspellings include "ddelaware", "dealware", "delaawre", "delawaer", "delawarre". The correct spelling is "Delaware".

How do you pronounce "Delaware"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Delaware" is /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "Delaware"?

The river in the northeastern United States was named for Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr (1577–1618). The people and the state were named for the river. See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Delaware”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is D-E-L-A-W-A-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈdɛləweə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.