# devote vs devour

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### devote
*verb · IPA /dɪˈvəʊt/ · frequency rank #14,311*
to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.

### devour
*verb · IPA /dɪˈvaʊə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #23,239*
To eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.

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