delegate

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

/ˈdɛlɪɡət/

//ˈdɛlɪɡət// noun

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

The verdict

“delegate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,197 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,197
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 11
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

delegate vs delete

75% similar

delegate vs delicate

75% similar

delegate vs delegated

89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for delegate
Property	Value
Headword	delegate
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈdɛlɪɡət/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#11,197
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “delegate” 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). delegate lands here:

#11,197

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

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for delegate is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɛlɪɡət/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,197 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for delegate, with forms such as "ddelegate", "deelgate", and "deleagte". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "delete", "delicate", "delegated", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English delegat, from Old French delegat, from Latin dēlēgātus substantivized from the nominative masculine singular of dēlēgātus, the perfect passive participle of dēlēgō (“to send, assign, delegate”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also l… The correct English form is delegate, spelled D-E-L-E-G-A-T-E.

Definition

1
A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.
2
A representative at a conference, etc.
3
An appointed representative in some legislative bodies.
4
A type of variable storing a reference to a method with a particular signature, analogous to a function pointer.
5
A member of a governmental legislature who lacks voting power.

Etymology

From Middle English delegat, from Old French delegat, from Latin dēlēgātus substantivized from the nominative masculine singular of dēlēgātus, the perfect passive participle of dēlēgō (“to send, assign, delegate”), see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also legate.

This word in other languages

delegado(Español)délégué(Français)Delegierter(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddelegate,deelgate,deleagte,delegaet,delegatte,deleggate,delegtae,delgeate,dellegate,dleegate,edlegate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of delegate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "delegate"

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 "delegate"?

"delegate" is spelled D-E-L-E-G-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛlɪɡət/.

What does "delegate" mean?

As a noun, "delegate" means: A person authorized to act as representative for another; a deputy.

What words are commonly confused with "delegate"?

"delegate" is commonly confused with "delete", "delicate", "delegated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "delegate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delegate" is /ˈdɛlɪɡət/. 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 "delegate"?

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 “delegate”

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

The one correct English spelling is D-E-L-E-G-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈdɛlɪɡət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “delete” - see the side-by-side comparison. delegate vs delete
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.