Which to use
“digest” and “divest” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,018
- “digest” frequency rank
- #33,623
- “divest” frequency rank
- 44641
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | digest | divest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To distribute or arrange methodically; to work over and classify; to reduce to portions for ready use or application. | To strip, deprive, or dispossess (someone) of something (such as a right, passion, privilege, or prejudice). |
Where the eye mixes digest and divest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between digest and divest
A purely visual mix-up. digest (/daɪˈd͡ʒɛst/) and divest (/daɪˈvɛst/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - g in “digest” becomes v in “divest”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44641, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
digest is recorded at frequency rank #11,018, classified as averb, pronounced /daɪˈd͡ʒɛst/. divest is at rank #33,623, tagged as averb, pronounced /daɪˈvɛst/.
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 44641, this pair ranks #228,643 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of digest vs divest
Shared letters: deist. Private to "digest": g. Private to "divest": v.
"digest" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "divest" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "digest" for "divest" ever safe?
Frequency check: "digest" vs "divest" - which ranks higher?
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 "digest" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "divest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #228,643 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "digest" and "divest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dikes vs divest". 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 #228,643 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.