# demure vs desire

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### demure
*adjective · IPA /dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #49,286*
Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.

### desire
*verb · IPA /dɪˈzaɪə/ · frequency rank #2,436*
To want; to wish for earnestly.

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