dilema

[d̪iˈlema]

/[d̪iˈlema]/ noun

The verdict

“dilema” has 8 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #10,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,317
frequency rank, Spanish
90,663
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Situación en la que es necesario elegir entre dos opciones diferentes, a menudo contradictorias entre sí.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

dilema vs diles
67% similar
dilema vs diseña
67% similar
dilema vs dolerá
50% similar

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

Key facts for dilema
PropertyValue
Headworddilema
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[d̪iˈlema]
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,317
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “dilema” sits in Spanish frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around dilema (IPA [d̪iˈlema]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,317 among 90,663 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for dilema, with forms such as "ddilema", "dielma", and "dileam". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "diles", "diseña", "dolerá", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct Spanish form is dilema, spelled D-I-L-E-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Situación en la que es necesario elegir entre dos opciones diferentes, a menudo contradictorias entre sí.
  2. 2
    Estrategia argumentativa que propone dos ideas opuestas y, al elegir cualquiera de las dos, se prueba lo que inicialmente se quería demostrar.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddilema
  • dielma
  • dileam
  • dilemma
  • dillema
  • dilmea
  • dliema
  • idlema

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of dilema - 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.

ddilema1dielma2dileam2dilemma1dillema1dilmea2dliema2idlema2
Edit distance from "dilema"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "dilema"?
"dilema" is spelled D-I-L-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is [d̪iˈlema].
What does "dilema" mean?
As a noun, "dilema" means: Situación en la que es necesario elegir entre dos opciones diferentes, a menudo contradictorias entre sí.
What words are commonly confused with "dilema"?
"dilema" is commonly confused with "diles", "diseña", "dolerá". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "dilema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "dilema" is [d̪iˈlema]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "dilema" come from?
"dilema" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “dilema”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is D-I-L-E-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [d̪iˈlema] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “diles” - see the side-by-side comparison. dilema vs diles
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list