Which to use
“denotes” and “devoted” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,685
- “denotes” frequency rank
- #5,318
- “devoted” frequency rank
- 22003
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | denotes | devoted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of denote | simple past and past participle of devote |
Where the eye mixes denotes and devoted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: denotes vs devoted
A purely visual mix-up. denotes (/dɪˈnoʊts/) and devoted (/dɪˈvəʊtəd/) 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 22003, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
denotes is recorded at frequency rank #16,685, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈnoʊts/. devoted is at rank #5,318, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈvəʊtəd/.
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 22003, this pair ranks #419,782 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of denotes vs devoted
Shared letters: deot. Private to "denotes": ns. Private to "devoted": v.
"denotes" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "devoted" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "denotes" for "devoted" ever safe?
Which is more common, "denotes" or "devoted"?
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 "denotes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devoted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #419,782 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "denotes" and "devoted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denotes vs dented". 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 #419,782 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.