Delhi

/ˈdɛl.i/

//ˈdɛl.i// name

"delhi" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Delhi” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,365. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,365
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A megacity and union territory of India, containing the national capital New Delhi.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delhi · Delhi · English

Delhi · rank #4,365 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,365
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH default

Nearest frequency peer: default (-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 “Delhi”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Delhi” 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).

Delhi vs dell
40% similar
Delhi vs deli
60% similar
Delhi vs Desi
60% similar

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

Key facts for Delhi
PropertyValue
HeadwordDelhi
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈdɛl.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,365
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Delhi”

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).Delhilands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “default” (#4,364), “derived” (#4,366), “Dec” (#4,363). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Delhi” is #4,365. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Delhi (IPA /ˈdɛl.i/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #4,365 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Delhi, with forms such as "ddelhi", "dehli", and "delhhi". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "dell", "deli", "Desi", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Corrupted from Hindustani دہلی (dihlī, dêhli) / देहली (dehlī), of uncertain origin. See Delhi § Toponym at Wikipedia. Compare Hindi दिल्ली (dillī). The correct English form is Delhi, spelled D-E-L-H-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A megacity and union territory of India, containing the national capital New Delhi.
  2. 2
    The Indian government.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The £4bn expressways form a diamond linking Delhi with the country's three other largest cities, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta, marking the beginning of more than £35bn of road projects.

Etymology

Corrupted from Hindustani دہلی (dihlī, dêhli) / देहली (dehlī), of uncertain origin. See Delhi § Toponym at Wikipedia. Compare Hindi दिल्ली (dillī).

Synonyms

National Capital Territory

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelhi
  • dehli
  • delhhi
  • delih
  • dellhi
  • dlehi
  • edlhi

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelhi1dehli2delhhi1delih2dellhi1dlehi2edlhi2
Edit distance from "Delhi"

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 "Delhi"?
"Delhi" is spelled D-E-L-H-I. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛl.i/.
What does "Delhi" mean?
As a proper noun, "Delhi" means: A megacity and union territory of India, containing the national capital New Delhi.
What words are commonly confused with "Delhi"?
"Delhi" is commonly confused with "dell", "deli", "Desi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Delhi"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Delhi" is /ˈdɛl.i/. 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 "Delhi"?
Corrupted from Hindustani دہلی (dihlī, dêhli) / देहली (dehlī), of uncertain origin. See Delhi § Toponym at Wikipedia. Compare Hindi दिल्ली (dillī). 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 "Delhi", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list