delineate

/dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/

//dɪˈlɪniːeɪt// verb

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

"delineate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delineate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,285. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,285
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delineate · delineate · English

delineate · rank #49,285 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,285
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH demure

Nearest frequency peer: demure (+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 “delineate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delineate” 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).

delineate vs delicate
78% similar
delineate vs deliberate
80% similar

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

Key facts for delineate
PropertyValue
Headworddelineate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#49,285
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delineate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).delineatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “demure” (#49,286), “debutant” (#49,283), “debriefing” (#49,282). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delineate” is #49,285. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around delineate (IPA /dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #49,285 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 delineate, with forms such as "ddelineate", "deilneate", and "delienate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "delicate", "deliberate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1559; borrowed from Latin dēlīneātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīneo (“to sketch out, to delineate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- + līnea (“line”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular… The correct English form is delineate, spelled D-E-L-I-N-E-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.
  2. 2
    To depict, represent with pictures.
  3. 3
    To describe or depict with words or gestures.
  4. 4
    To outline or mark out.

Etymology

First attested in 1559; borrowed from Latin dēlīneātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīneo (“to sketch out, to delineate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- + līnea (“line”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Synonyms

mark outdemarkdemarcatedelimit

This word in other languages

delinear(Español)délinéer(Français)umreißen(Deutsch)delinear(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelineate
  • deilneate
  • delienate
  • delinaete
  • delineaet
  • delineatte
  • delinetae
  • delinneate
  • dellineate
  • delnieate
  • dleineate
  • edlineate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelineate1deilneate2delienate2delinaete2delineaet2delineatte1delinetae2delinneate1
Edit distance from "delineate"

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 "delineate"?
"delineate" is spelled D-E-L-I-N-E-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/.
What does "delineate" mean?
As a verb, "delineate" means: To sketch out, draw or trace an outline.
What words are commonly confused with "delineate"?
"delineate" is commonly confused with "delicate", "deliberate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delineate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delineate" is /dɪˈlɪniːeɪt/. 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 "delineate"?
First attested in 1559; borrowed from Latin dēlīneātus, perfect passive participle of dēlīneo (“to sketch out, to delineate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from dē- + līnea (“line”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix... 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 "delineate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dionysius#49,291disavowed#49,292discerned#49,293domiciled#49,299

Similar misspelling depth

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

debutant12 variantsColeraine12 variantsCardenas12 variantsFrançaise12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list