delusion

/dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/

//dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n// noun

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

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

The verdict

“delusion” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,815. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,815
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A false belief that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delusion · delusion · English

delusion · rank #17,815 · 12 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,815
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH decidedly

Nearest frequency peer: decidedly (-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 “delusion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delusion” 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).

delusion vs dilution
75% similar
delusion vs derision
75% similar
delusion vs delusional
80% similar

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

Key facts for delusion
PropertyValue
Headworddelusion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/
Letters8
Frequency rank#17,815
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delusion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).delusionlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “decidedly” (#17,814), “Daytona” (#17,813), “depreciation” (#17,817). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delusion” is #17,815. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around delusion (IPA /dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,815 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for delusion, with forms such as "ddelusion", "dellusion", and "delsuion". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "dilution", "derision", "delusional", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin dēlūsiō. The correct English form is delusion, spelled D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A false belief that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts.
  2. 2
    The state of being deluded or misled, or process of deluding somebody.
  3. 3
    That which is falsely or delusively believed or propagated; false belief; error in belief.
  4. 4
    A fixed, false belief, that will not change, despite evidence to the contrary.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
  2. Hess, always a muddled man though not so doltish as Rosenberg, flew on his own to Britain under the delusion that he could arrange a peace settlement.

Etymology

From Latin dēlūsiō.

This word in other languages

engaño(Español)illusion(Français)Täuschung(Deutsch)ilusão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelusion
  • dellusion
  • delsuion
  • deluison
  • delusino
  • delusionn
  • delusoin
  • delussion
  • delution
  • deulsion
  • dleusion
  • edlusion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of delusion - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddelusion1dellusion1delsuion2deluison2delusino2delusionn1delusoin2delussion1
Edit distance from "delusion"

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 "delusion"?
"delusion" is spelled D-E-L-U-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/.
What does "delusion" mean?
As a noun, "delusion" means: A false belief that is resistant to confrontation with actual facts.
What words are commonly confused with "delusion"?
"delusion" is commonly confused with "dilution", "derision", "delusional". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delusion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delusion" is /dɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/. 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 "delusion"?
From Latin dēlūsiō. 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 "delusion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dopamine#17,824conserve#17,804compiler#17,803eclectic#17,829

Similar misspelling depth

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

ecstatic12 variantsbrochure12 variantsHeathrow12 variantsilliterate12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list