deletion

/dɪˈliːʃən/

//dɪˈliːʃən// noun

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

"deletion" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deletion” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,489. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,489
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An item that has been or will be deleted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deletion · deletion · English

deletion · rank #21,489 · 12 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,489
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deities

Nearest frequency peer: deities (-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 “deletion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deletion” 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).

deletion vs devotion
75% similar
deletion vs delusion
75% similar
deletion vs dilution
75% similar

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

Key facts for deletion
PropertyValue
Headworddeletion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈliːʃən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,489
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deletion”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).deletionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “deities” (#21,488), “diligent” (#21,490), “discern” (#21,491). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deletion” is #21,489. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around deletion (IPA /dɪˈliːʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,489 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for deletion, with forms such as "ddeletion", "deeltion", and "deleiton". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "devotion", "delusion", "dilution", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dēlētiōnem (“destruction, effacement”), from the past-participle stem of dēlēre (“to blot out, destroy, efface”). Equivalent to delete + -ion. The correct English form is deletion, spelled D-E-L-E-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An item that has been or will be deleted.
  2. 2
    The act of deleting.
  3. 3
    A mutation in which a gene, or other section of DNA, is removed from a chromosome.
  4. 4
    An act of killing or murder.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The file contained errors that required deletion.
  2. A genetic deletion caused the disorder.

Etymology

From Latin dēlētiōnem (“destruction, effacement”), from the past-participle stem of dēlēre (“to blot out, destroy, efface”). Equivalent to delete + -ion.

This word in other languages

supresión(Español)suppression(Français)Deletion(Deutsch)exclusão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeletion
  • deeltion
  • deleiton
  • delesion
  • deletino
  • deletionn
  • deletoin
  • delettion
  • delletion
  • delteion
  • dleetion
  • edletion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddeletion1deeltion2deleiton2delesion1deletino2deletionn1deletoin2delettion1
Edit distance from "deletion"

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 "deletion"?
"deletion" is spelled D-E-L-E-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈliːʃən/.
What does "deletion" mean?
As a noun, "deletion" means: An item that has been or will be deleted.
What words are commonly confused with "deletion"?
"deletion" is commonly confused with "devotion", "delusion", "dilution". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deletion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deletion" is /dɪˈliːʃən/. 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 "deletion"?
From Latin dēlētiōnem (“destruction, effacement”), from the past-participle stem of dēlēre (“to blot out, destroy, efface”). Equivalent to delete + -ion. 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 "deletion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

diligent#21,490Donnelly#21,494crucible#21,481drenched#21,497

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

cryptic12 variantsCopeland12 variantsconverge12 variantsendanger12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list