delude
/dɪˈluːd/
"delude" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“delude” is an uncommon English word, ranked #54,116 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #54,116
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To deceive into believing something which is false; to lead into error; to dupe.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | delude |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /dɪˈluːd/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #54,116 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “delude” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for delude is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈluːd/. Corpus data places it at rank #54,116 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for delude, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English deluden, borrowed from Latin dēlūdō (“mock, deceive”), from de + lūdō (“to make sport of, to mock”). See ludicrous. The correct English form is delude, spelled D-E-L-U-D-E.
Definition
- 1To deceive into believing something which is false; to lead into error; to dupe.
- 2To frustrate or disappoint.
Etymology
From Middle English deluden, borrowed from Latin dēlūdō (“mock, deceive”), from de + lūdō (“to make sport of, to mock”). See ludicrous.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “delude”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-L-U-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈluːd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.