delinquent

/dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/

//dɪˈlɪŋkwənt// adj

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

"delinquent" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delinquent” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,724. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,724
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delinquent · delinquent · English

delinquent · rank #24,724 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,724
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH degeneration

Nearest frequency peer: degeneration (-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 “delinquent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delinquent” 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).

delinquent vs delinquency
82% similar

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

Key facts for delinquent
PropertyValue
Headworddelinquent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#24,724
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delinquent”

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).delinquentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “degeneration” (#24,723), “democratically” (#24,725), “decisively” (#24,722). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delinquent” is #24,724. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around delinquent (IPA /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #24,724 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for delinquent, with forms such as "ddelinquent", "deilnquent", and "delinnquent". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "delinquency", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo. The correct English form is delinquent, spelled D-E-L-I-N-Q-U-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.
  2. 2
    Of a payment or other financial obligation: late or otherwise unfulfilled.
  3. 3
    Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fred is delinquent in making his car payment.
  2. The company made a new effort to collect delinquent payments.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo.

Synonyms

defaulting

This word in other languages

moroso(Español)säumig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelinquent
  • deilnquent
  • delinnquent
  • delinqeunt
  • delinqquent
  • delinquennt
  • delinquentt
  • delinquetn
  • delinqunet
  • delinuqent
  • deliqnuent
  • dellinquent
  • delniquent
  • dleinquent
  • edlinquent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelinquent1deilnquent2delinnquent1delinqeunt2delinqquent1delinquennt1delinquentt1delinquetn2
Edit distance from "delinquent"

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 "delinquent"?
"delinquent" is spelled D-E-L-I-N-Q-U-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/.
What does "delinquent" mean?
As an adjective, "delinquent" means: Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.
What words are commonly confused with "delinquent"?
"delinquent" is commonly confused with "delinquency". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delinquent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delinquent" is /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/. 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 "delinquent"?
Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo. 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 "delinquent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

decisively#24,722disapprove#24,729criminally#24,716contraband#24,713

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

femininity15 variantsburgeoning15 variantsinhalation15 variantsaggravating15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list