Which to use
“defuse” and “devise” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,609
- “defuse” frequency rank
- #22,645
- “devise” frequency rank
- 56254
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defuse | devise |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb). | To use one’s intellect to plan or design (something). |
Where the eye mixes defuse and devise
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between defuse and devise
A purely visual mix-up. defuse (/diːˈfjuːz/) and devise (/dɪˈvaɪz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defuse is recorded at frequency rank #33,609, classified as averb, pronounced /diːˈfjuːz/. devise is at rank #22,645, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈvaɪz/.
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 56254, this pair ranks #127,596 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of defuse vs devise
Shared letters: des. Private to "defuse": fu. Private to "devise": iv.
"defuse" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "devise" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "defuse" for "devise" ever safe?
Which is more common, "defuse" or "devise"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "defuse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devise" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #127,596 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "defuse" and "devise" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defuse vs demure". 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 #127,596 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.