delirium

/dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm/

//dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“delirium” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,391. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,391
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A temporary mental state with a sudden onset, usually reversible, including symptoms of confusion, inability to concentrate, disorientation, anxiety, and sometimes hallucinations. Causes can includ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-delirium · delirium · English

delirium · rank #30,391 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #30,391
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH deference

Nearest frequency peer: deference (-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 “delirium”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delirium” 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).

delirium vs delirious
78% similar

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

Key facts for delirium
PropertyValue
Headworddelirium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#30,391
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delirium”

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).deliriumlands 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 “deference” (#30,390), “DAC” (#30,389), “Descartes” (#30,393). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delirium” is #30,391. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around delirium (IPA /dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,391 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for delirium, with forms such as "ddelirium", "deilrium", and "deliirum". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "delirious", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin dēlīrium (“derangement, madness”). The correct English form is delirium, spelled D-E-L-I-R-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A temporary mental state with a sudden onset, usually reversible, including symptoms of confusion, inability to concentrate, disorientation, anxiety, and sometimes hallucinations. Causes can include dehydration, drug intoxication, and severe infection.
  2. 2
    Wild, frenzied excitement or ecstasy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The popular delirium [of the French Revolution] at first caught his enthusiastic mind.
  2. Better to decay in absolute delirium, than to be the victim of the methodical unreason of ill-bestowed love.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēlīrium (“derangement, madness”).

This word in other languages

delirio(Español)délire(Français)Delirium(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelirium
  • deilrium
  • deliirum
  • delirimu
  • deliriumm
  • delirrium
  • deliruim
  • dellirium
  • delriium
  • dleirium
  • edlirium

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelirium1deilrium2deliirum2delirimu2deliriumm1delirrium1deliruim2dellirium1
Edit distance from "delirium"

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 "delirium"?
"delirium" is spelled D-E-L-I-R-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm/.
What does "delirium" mean?
As a noun, "delirium" means: A temporary mental state with a sudden onset, usually reversible, including symptoms of confusion, inability to concentrate, disorientation, anxiety, and sometimes hallucinations. Causes can includ...
What words are commonly confused with "delirium"?
"delirium" is commonly confused with "delirious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delirium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delirium" is /dɪˈlɪ.ɹi.əm/. 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 "delirium"?
Borrowed from Latin dēlīrium (“derangement, madness”). 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 "delirium", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disarray#30,397dismayed#30,400Crabtree#30,380complies#30,373

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Falkirk11 variantsFilipina11 variantsflattery11 variantscharted11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list