derpvsdevoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: derp is a intj, devo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“derp” is an intj and “devo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,699
“derp” frequency rank
#39,776
“devo” frequency rank
88475
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derp devo
Definition Draws attention to an act of foolishness or stupidity. Devastated.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set derp and devo apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
derp
4 ch
devo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derp is /dɝp/ while devo is /ˈdɛvoʊ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 88475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

derp is recorded at frequency rank #48,699, classified as anintj, pronounced /dɝp/. devo is at rank #39,776, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈdɛvoʊ/.

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 88475, this pair ranks #6,296 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of derp vs devo

Shared letters: de. Private to "derp": pr. Private to "devo": ov.

"derp" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "devo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derpdderp · depr · derpp · derrp · drep · edrp
  • devoddevo · deov · devvo · dveo · edvo

Frequency comparison

derp#48,699
devo#39,776

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "derp" and "devo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "derp" is an intj and "devo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "derp" or "devo"?
"devo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,776 in our English list, against #48,699 for "derp". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering derp vs devo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “derp”; for an adjective, it's “devo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “derp” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list