deplete

/dɪˈpliːt/

//dɪˈpliːt// verb

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

"deplete" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deplete” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,159. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,159
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something)

Corpus desk

Index EN-deplete · deplete · English

deplete · rank #44,159 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,159
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH delved

Nearest frequency peer: delved (-2 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 “deplete”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deplete” 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).

deplete vs depleted
88% similar
deplete vs delete
86% similar
deplete vs deleted
71% similar

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

Key facts for deplete
PropertyValue
Headworddeplete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈpliːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#44,159
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deplete”

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).depletelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “delved” (#44,157), “devalue” (#44,161), “dido” (#44,163). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deplete” is #44,159. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around deplete (IPA /dɪˈpliːt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #44,159 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for deplete, with forms such as "ddeplete", "delpete", and "depelte". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "depleted", "delete", "deleted", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō. First attested in 1716; originally a medical term. The correct English form is deplete, spelled D-E-P-L-E-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something)
  2. 2
    To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something):
  3. 3
    To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something):
  4. 4
    To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something):
  5. 5
    To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something):
  6. 6
    To empty or purge (something of a substance).
  7. 7
    To empty or purge (something of a substance).
  8. 8
    To empty or purge (something of a substance).
  9. 9
    To diminish in quantity or strength; to be consumed.
  10. 10
    To diminish in quantity or strength; to be consumed.
  11. 11
    To diminish in quantity or strength; to be consumed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The winter storm quickly depleted the salt supply of the county.
  2. Their numbers have been very heavily depleted in the last few years, and soon a most familiar part of the southern railway scene will have vanished: […].

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō. First attested in 1716; originally a medical term.

Antonyms

replenish

This word in other languages

depletar(Español)vider(Français)leeren(Deutsch)esgotar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeplete
  • delpete
  • depelte
  • depleet
  • deplette
  • depllete
  • depltee
  • depplete
  • dpelete
  • edplete

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of deplete - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddeplete1delpete2depelte2depleet2deplette1depllete1depltee2depplete1
Edit distance from "deplete"

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 "deplete"?
"deplete" is spelled D-E-P-L-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈpliːt/.
What does "deplete" mean?
As a verb, "deplete" means: To reduce the amount of; to remove (a substance from something)
What words are commonly confused with "deplete"?
"deplete" is commonly confused with "depleted", "delete", "deleted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deplete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deplete" is /dɪˈpliːt/. 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 "deplete"?
Borrowed from Latin dēplētus (“empty”), from depleō. First attested in 1716; originally a medical term. 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 "deplete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

devalue#44,161defiled#44,154cussing#44,148doormat#44,173

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

CRISPR10 variantsFallujah10 variantsclench10 variantsfeigned10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list