delicate

/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/

//ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət// adj

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

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

The verdict

“delicate” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,003 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,003
frequency rank, English
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

delicate vs deviate
75% similar
delicate vs duplicate
78% similar
delicate vs delineate
78% similar

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

Key facts for delicate
PropertyValue
Headworddelicate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,003
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “delicate” 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). delicate 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 delicate is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,003 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for delicate, with forms such as "ddelicate", "deilcate", and "delciate". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "deviate", "duplicate", "delineate", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (in Medieval Latin also) fine, slender”), from dēlicia + -ātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), usually in plural dēliciae (“pleasure, delight,… The correct English form is delicate, spelled D-E-L-I-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
  2. 2
    Characterized by a fine structure or thin lines.
  3. 3
    Intended for use with fragile items.
  4. 4
    Refined; gentle; scrupulous not to trespass or offend; considerate; said of manners, conduct, or feelings.
  5. 5
    Of weak health; easily sick; unable to endure hardship.
  6. 6
    Unwell, especially because of having drunk too much alcohol.
  7. 7
    Addicted to pleasure; luxurious; voluptuous; alluring.
  8. 8
    Pleasing to the senses; refined; adapted to please an elegant or cultivated taste.
  9. 9
    Slight and shapely; lovely; graceful.
  10. 10
    Light, or softly tinted; said of a colour.
  11. 11
    Of exacting tastes and habits; dainty; fastidious.
  12. 12
    Highly discriminating or perceptive; refinedly critical; sensitive; exquisite.
  13. 13
    Affected by slight causes; showing slight changes.

Etymology

From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (in Medieval Latin also) fine, slender”), from dēlicia + -ātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), usually in plural dēliciae (“pleasure, delight, luxury”), from dēliciō (“to allure, entice”), from dē- (“away”) + laciō (“to lure, to deceive”), from Proto-Italic *lakjō (“to draw, pull”), of unknown ultimate origin. Compare delight, delicious and Spanish delgado (“thin, skinny”). The noun is from a substantivization of the adjective (see -ate).

Synonyms

fragile

This word in other languages

delicado(Español)délicat(Français)empfindlich(Deutsch)delicado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddelicate,deilcate,delciate,deliacte,delicaet,delicatte,deliccate,delictae,dellicate,dleicate,edlicate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelicate1deilcate2delciate2deliacte2delicaet2delicatte1deliccate1delictae2
Edit distance from "delicate"

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 "delicate"?
"delicate" is spelled D-E-L-I-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/.
What does "delicate" mean?
As an adjective, "delicate" means: Easily damaged or requiring careful handling.
What words are commonly confused with "delicate"?
"delicate" is commonly confused with "deviate", "duplicate", "delineate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delicate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delicate" is /ˈdɛl.ɪ.kət/. 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 "delicate"?
From Middle English delicat, from Latin dēlicātus (“giving pleasure, delightful, soft, luxurious, delicate, (in Medieval Latin also) fine, slender”), from dēlicia + -ātus (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), usually in plural dēliciae (“pleasure... 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 “delicate”

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

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