device vs devote, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“device” is a noun and “devote” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,150
“device” frequency rank: #14,311
“devote” frequency rank: 16461
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	device	devote
Definition	Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.	to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set device and devote apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

device

6 ch

devote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

device and devote form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16461, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

device is recorded at frequency rank #2,150, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈvaɪs/. devote is at rank #14,311, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈvəʊt/.

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 16461, this pair ranks #457,604 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

device#2,150

devote#14,311

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "device" and "devote" be used interchangeably?

No, "device" and "devote" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering device vs devote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “device”; for a verb, it's “devote”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “device” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable