# delve vs devolve

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### delve
*verb · IPA /dɛlv/ · frequency rank #24,139*
To dig into the ground, especially with a shovel.

### devolve
*verb · IPA /dɪˈvɒɫv/ · frequency rank #37,886*
To be inherited by someone else; to pass down upon the next person in a succession, especially through failure or loss of an earlier holder.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/delve-vs-devolve