delirious

/dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs/

//dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“delirious” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,757. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,757
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Being in the state of delirium.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delirious · delirious · English

delirious · rank #30,757 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,757
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Delgado

Nearest frequency peer: Delgado (-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 “delirious”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delirious” 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).

delirious vs delirium
78% similar
delirious vs delicious
89% similar

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

Key facts for delirious
PropertyValue
Headworddelirious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#30,757
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delirious”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).deliriouslands 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 “Delgado” (#30,756), “deo” (#30,759), “decorator” (#30,754). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delirious” is #30,757. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around delirious (IPA /dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,757 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for delirious, with forms such as "ddelirious", "deilrious", and "deliirous". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "delirium", "delicious", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From delirium + -ous; see also Latin delirus (“silly, doting, crazy”). The correct English form is delirious, spelled D-E-L-I-R-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being in the state of delirium.
  2. 2
    Having uncontrolled excitement; ecstatic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ⁠Or has the shock, so harshly given, […] made me that delirious man ⁠Whose fancy fuses old and new, ⁠And flashes into false and true, And mingles all without a plan?
  2. […]the angelic form of a creature whose very existence was a gigantic balm of Gilead to the lacerated body of our hero, and, in a half delirious state of mind, he felt like leaping mountains to raise prostrate female forms, and to become blessed with hymeneal joys of the most glorious character; but, his imagination soon forsook him, and a raging fever, a…

Etymology

From delirium + -ous; see also Latin delirus (“silly, doting, crazy”).

This word in other languages

délirant(Français)deliriös(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelirious
  • deilrious
  • deliirous
  • deliriosu
  • deliriouss
  • deliriuos
  • deliroius
  • delirrious
  • dellirious
  • delriious
  • dleirious
  • edlirious

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelirious1deilrious2deliirous2deliriosu2deliriouss1deliriuos2deliroius2delirrious1
Edit distance from "delirious"

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 "delirious"?
"delirious" is spelled D-E-L-I-R-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs/.
What does "delirious" mean?
As an adjective, "delirious" means: Being in the state of delirium.
What words are commonly confused with "delirious"?
"delirious" is commonly confused with "delirium", "delicious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delirious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delirious" is /dɪˈlɪə̯.ɹi.əs/. 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 "delirious"?
From delirium + -ous; see also Latin delirus (“silly, doting, crazy”). 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 "delirious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

decorator#30,754damnation#30,749crucially#30,746dissipate#30,768

Similar misspelling depth

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

Corcoran12 variantseasterly12 variantsclitoris12 variantsexacting12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list