Which to use
“device” is a noun and “divide” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,150
- “device” frequency rank
- #5,876
- “divide” frequency rank
- 8026
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | device | divide |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one. | To split or separate (something) into two or more parts. |
Where the eye mixes device and divide
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses device with divide
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: device is /dɪˈvaɪs/ while divide is /dɪˈvaɪd/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8026, 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/. divide is at rank #5,876, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪˈvaɪd/.
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 8026, this pair ranks #504,448 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of device vs divide
Shared letters: deiv. Private to "device": c. Private to "divide": -.
"device" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "divide" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "device" and "divide" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "device" or "divide" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "device" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "divide" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #504,448 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "device" and "divide" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "device vs Devito". 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 #504,448 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.