delve

/dɛlv/

//dɛlv// verb

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

"delve" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“delve” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,139. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,139
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-delve · delve · English

delve · rank #24,139 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,139
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH decipher

Nearest frequency peer: decipher (-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 “delve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “delve” 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).

delve vs dev
60% similar
delve vs dive
60% similar
delve vs dove
60% similar

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

Key facts for delve
PropertyValue
Headworddelve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɛlv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,139
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “delve”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).delvelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “decipher” (#24,138), “depletion” (#24,140), “decaying” (#24,137). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “delve” is #24,139. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around delve (IPA /dɛlv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #24,139 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for delve, with forms such as "ddelve", "delev", and "dellve". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dev", "dive", "dove", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English delven, from Old English delfan (“to dig, dig out, burrow, bury”), from Proto-Germanic *delbaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelbʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with West Frisian dolle (“to dig, delve”), Dutch delven (“to dig, delve”), … The correct English form is delve, spelled D-E-L-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel.
  2. 2
    To dig; to excavate.
  3. 3
    To search thoroughly and carefully for information, research, dig into, penetrate, fathom, trace out

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Delve of convenient depth your thrashing floor.
  2. I got a spade from the tool-house, and began to delve with all my might—it scraped the coffin; I fell to work with my hands; the wood commenced cracking about the screws; I was on the point of attaining my object, when it seemed that I heard a sigh from some one above, close at the edge of the grave, and bending down.

Etymology

From Middle English delven, from Old English delfan (“to dig, dig out, burrow, bury”), from Proto-Germanic *delbaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelbʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with West Frisian dolle (“to dig, delve”), Dutch delven (“to dig, delve”), Low German dölven (“to dig, delve”), dialectal German delben, telben (“to dig, delve”).

This word in other languages

cavar(Español)creuser(Français)graben(Deutsch)cavar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddelve
  • delev
  • dellve
  • delvve
  • devle
  • dleve
  • edlve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddelve1delev2dellve1delvve1devle2dleve2edlve2
Edit distance from "delve"

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 "delve"?
"delve" is spelled D-E-L-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛlv/.
What does "delve" mean?
As a verb, "delve" means: To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel.
What words are commonly confused with "delve"?
"delve" is commonly confused with "dev", "dive", "dove". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "delve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "delve" is /dɛlv/. 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 "delve"?
From Middle English delven, from Old English delfan (“to dig, dig out, burrow, bury”), from Proto-Germanic *delbaną (“to dig”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰelbʰ- (“to dig”). Cognate with West Frisian dolle (“to dig, delve”), Dutch delven (“to dig,... 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 "delve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

fluke#24,159Georg#24,165chime#24,111Grady#24,174

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

CNBC7 variantsavert7 variantsHollis7 variantsAdnan7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list