delete

/dɪˈliːt/

//dɪˈliːt// verb

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

"delete" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delete” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,935. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,935
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delete · delete · English

delete · rank #4,935 · 8 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,935
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH custody

Nearest frequency peer: custody (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “delete”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “delete” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

delete vs delta
67% similar
delete vs delve
67% similar
delete vs Delle
50% similar

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

Key facts for delete
PropertyValue
Headworddelete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈliːt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,935
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delete”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).deletelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “custody” (#4,934), “demonstrated” (#4,936), “cruise” (#4,933). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delete” is #4,935. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around delete (IPA /dɪˈliːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,935 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for delete, with forms such as "ddelete", "deelte", and "deleet". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "delta", "delve", "Delle", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dēlētus, past participle of dēlēre (“destroy, blot out, efface”), from dēlēvī, originally perf. tense of dēlinere (“to daub, erase by smudging”), from dē- (“from, away”) + linere (“to smear, wipe”). Original sense first appears c. 1495. In common… The correct English form is delete, spelled D-E-L-E-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device.
  2. 2
    To defeat or dominate.
  3. 3
    To kill or murder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how delete appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Early on in the model year [1968] Pontiac experienced some production problems [in producing polyurethane bumpers] regarding fit, matching paint color, and bonding the material to the base metal. As a result, 2,108 1968 GTOs left the factory with chrome bumpers borrowed from the LeMans. These cars had a special option on their order sheets called "Endura…
  2. Also I got deleted by a rogue and druid who were both invisible and just popped up and cleaned me.

Etymology

From Latin dēlētus, past participle of dēlēre (“destroy, blot out, efface”), from dēlēvī, originally perf. tense of dēlinere (“to daub, erase by smudging”), from dē- (“from, away”) + linere (“to smear, wipe”). Original sense first appears c. 1495. In common use for ordering the absence of features of products (such as automobiles) in the 1960s. The computing sense, including the noun form, first appears c. 1977 in Software: Practice & Experience. Not related to deleterious. Doublet of delible and deleble.

Synonyms

eraseclearstriketerminateremoveredactrub outstrike outobliteratecancelcross outscorescrubscrapscratchexpungeeliminateblue-pencilexcludesquelch

Antonyms

insertmaintain

This word in other languages

borrar(Español)supprimer(Français)streichen(Deutsch)apagar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelete
  • deelte
  • deleet
  • delette
  • dellete
  • deltee
  • dleete
  • edlete

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of delete - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddelete1deelte2deleet2delette1dellete1deltee2dleete2edlete2
Edit distance from "delete"

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 "delete"?
"delete" is spelled D-E-L-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈliːt/.
What does "delete" mean?
As a verb, "delete" means: To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device.
What words are commonly confused with "delete"?
"delete" is commonly confused with "delta", "delve", "Delle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delete" is /dɪˈliːt/. 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 "delete"?
From Latin dēlētus, past participle of dēlēre (“destroy, blot out, efface”), from dēlēvī, originally perf. tense of dēlinere (“to daub, erase by smudging”), from dē- (“from, away”) + linere (“to smear, wipe”). Original sense first appears c. 1495.... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "delete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cruise#4,933batman#4,917worlds#4,910Oliver#4,967

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

climb8 variantsappeals8 variantstrips8 variantsnasty8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list