Which to use
“deli” is an adjective and “duele” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,566
- “deli” frequency rank
- #2,878
- “duele” frequency rank
- 52444
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deli | duele |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Delicioso. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de dolar. |
Where the eye mixes deli and duele
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. deli runs 4 letters (CVCV) against duele's 5 (CVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: deli vs duele
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: deli is [ˈd̪eli] while duele is [ˈd̪wele]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52444, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
deli is recorded at frequency rank #49,566, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈd̪eli]. duele is at rank #2,878, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪wele].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 52444, this pair ranks #92,661 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of deli vs duele
Shared letters: del. Private to "deli": i. Private to "duele": u.
"deli" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "duele" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "deli" and "duele" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "deli" or "duele" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "deli" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duele" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #92,661 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "deli" and "duele" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deli vs Deva". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #92,661 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.