devastation

/ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/

//ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"devastation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“devastation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,538. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,538
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste.

Corpus desk

Index EN-devastation · devastation · English

devastation · rank #18,538 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,538
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH devout

Nearest frequency peer: devout (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “devastation”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “devastation” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

devastation vs devastating
82% similar
devastation vs devaluation
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for devastation
PropertyValue
Headworddevastation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#18,538
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “devastation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).devastationlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “devout” (#18,539), “deem” (#18,536), “deceptive” (#18,535). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “devastation” is #18,538. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around devastation (IPA /ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,538 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for devastation, with forms such as "ddevastation", "deavstation", and "devasattion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "devastating", "devaluation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French dévastation. The correct English form is devastation, spelled D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste.
  2. 2
    Waste or misapplication of the assets of a deceased person by an executor or administrator; devastavit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how devastation appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Perhaps as startling as the sheer toll was the devastation to some of the state’s well-known locales. Boardwalks along the beach in Seaside Heights, Belmar and other towns on the Jersey Shore were blown away. Amusement parks, arcades and restaurants all but vanished. Bridges to barrier islands buckled, preventing residents from even inspecting the damage…

Etymology

From Middle French dévastation.

Synonyms

havoc

This word in other languages

devastación(Español)dévastation(Français)Verwüstung(Deutsch)devastação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddevastation
  • deavstation
  • devasattion
  • devasstation
  • devastaiton
  • devastasion
  • devastatino
  • devastationn
  • devastatoin
  • devastattion
  • devasttaion
  • devasttation
  • devatsation
  • devsatation
  • devvastation
  • dveastation
  • edvastation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of devastation - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddevastation1deavstation2devasattion2devasstation1devastaiton2devastasion1devastatino2devastationn1
Edit distance from "devastation"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "devastation"?
"devastation" is spelled D-E-V-A-S-T-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/.
What does "devastation" mean?
As a noun, "devastation" means: The act of devastating, or the state of being devastated; a laying waste.
What words are commonly confused with "devastation"?
"devastation" is commonly confused with "devastating", "devaluation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "devastation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "devastation" is /ˌdɛ.vəˈsteɪ.ʃən/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "devastation"?
From Middle French dévastation. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "devastation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cylindrical#18,532embroidered#18,553foreseeable#18,563calibration#18,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

indifference17 variantsinterstellar17 variantsinvoluntary17 variantsMaharashtra17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list