delphinium

[dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm]

/[dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm]/ noun

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

The verdict

“delphinium” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cultivated plant, belonging to the genus Delphinium, with tall blue-colored spikes containing flowers; a larkspur.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delphinium · delphinium · English

delphinium · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for delphinium
PropertyValue
Headworddelphinium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm]
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “delphinium” sits in English frequency

delphinium falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

delphinium is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

delphinium doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the genus name (translingual Delphinium), from Ancient Greek δελφῐ́νῐον (delphĭ́nĭon, “larkspur”). The correct English form is delphinium, spelled D-E-L-P-H-I-N-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cultivated plant, belonging to the genus Delphinium, with tall blue-colored spikes containing flowers; a larkspur.
  2. 2
    A shade of blue, named for the flowers.

Etymology

From the genus name (translingual Delphinium), from Ancient Greek δελφῐ́νῐον (delphĭ́nĭon, “larkspur”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "delphinium"?
"delphinium" is spelled D-E-L-P-H-I-N-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is [dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm].
What does "delphinium" mean?
As a noun, "delphinium" means: A cultivated plant, belonging to the genus Delphinium, with tall blue-colored spikes containing flowers; a larkspur.
How do you pronounce "delphinium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delphinium" is [dɛɫˈfɪnɪəm]. 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 "delphinium"?
From the genus name (translingual Delphinium), from Ancient Greek δελφῐ́νῐον (delphĭ́nĭon, “larkspur”). 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.
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