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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,935 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#4,935
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device.

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)

Where “delete” 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). delete 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 delete is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈliːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,935 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “delete”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is D-E-L-E-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /dɪˈliːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “delta” - see the side-by-side comparison. delete vs delta
  • 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