delegation

/dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/

//dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"delegation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delegation” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,023 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,023
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act of delegating.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

delegation vs deletion
80% similar

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

Key facts for delegation
PropertyValue
Headworddelegation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#8,023
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “delegation” 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). delegation lands here:

#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 delegation is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,023 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for delegation, with forms such as "ddelegation", "deelgation", and "deleagtion". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "deletion", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin dēlēgātiō, dēlēgātiōnis, from dēlēgō: compare French délégation. The correct English form is delegation, spelled D-E-L-E-G-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of delegating.
  2. 2
    A group of delegates.
  3. 3
    A method-dispatching technique describing the lookup and inheritance rules for self-referential calls.
  4. 4
    The act whereby or constellation in which the performance of an obligation (owed to an obligee, presuming its validity; irrespective of the obligation as the target of the delegation, rarely called delegatary) is assigned by its debtor (delegator, obligor) to and towards another party (delegatee, delegate)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēlēgātiō, dēlēgātiōnis, from dēlēgō: compare French délégation.

This word in other languages

delegación(Español)délégation(Français)Abordnung(Deutsch)delegação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddelegation,deelgation,deleagtion,delegaiton,delegasion,delegatino,delegationn,delegatoin,delegattion,deleggation,delegtaion,delgeation,dellegation,dleegation,edlegation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of delegation - 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.

ddelegation1deelgation2deleagtion2delegaiton2delegasion1delegatino2delegationn1delegatoin2
Edit distance from "delegation"

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 "delegation"?
"delegation" is spelled D-E-L-E-G-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/.
What does "delegation" mean?
As a noun, "delegation" means: An act of delegating.
What words are commonly confused with "delegation"?
"delegation" is commonly confused with "deletion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delegation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delegation" is /dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/. 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 "delegation"?
Borrowed from Latin dēlēgātiō, dēlēgātiōnis, from dēlēgō: compare French délégation. 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 “delegation”

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-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɛlɪˈɡeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “deletion” - see the side-by-side comparison. delegation vs deletion
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list