deviate

/ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/

//ˈdiː.vi.eɪt// verb

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

"deviate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“deviate” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,751. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,751
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To go off course from; to change course; to change plans.

Corpus desk

Index EN-deviate · deviate · English

deviate · rank #26,751 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,751
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH devolution

Nearest frequency peer: devolution (+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 “deviate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “deviate” 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).

deviate vs device
71% similar
deviate vs devote
71% similar
deviate vs devise
71% similar

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

Key facts for deviate
PropertyValue
Headworddeviate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,751
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “deviate”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “devolution” (#26,752), “detonation” (#26,749), “dey” (#26,753). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “deviate” is #26,751. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around deviate (IPA /ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #26,751 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for deviate, with forms such as "ddeviate", "deivate", and "devaite". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "device", "devote", "devise", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier. The correct English form is deviate, spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To go off course from; to change course; to change plans.
  2. 2
    To fall outside of, or part from, some norm; to stray.
  3. 3
    To cause to diverge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These two circumstances, however, happening both unfortunately to intervene, our travellers deviated into a much less frequented track; and after riding full six miles, instead of arriving at the stately spires of Coventry, they found themselves still in a very dirty lane, where they saw no symptoms of approaching the suburbs of a large city.
  2. Thus Pegasus, a nearer way to take, / May boldly deviate from the common track.

Etymology

From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier.

Synonyms

swerveveerstraywander

This word in other languages

desviarse(Español)dévier(Français)abweichen(Deutsch)desviar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddeviate
  • deivate
  • devaite
  • deviaet
  • deviatte
  • devitae
  • devviate
  • dveiate
  • edviate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of deviate - 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.

ddeviate1deivate2devaite2deviaet2deviatte1devitae2devviate1dveiate2
Edit distance from "deviate"

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 "deviate"?
"deviate" is spelled D-E-V-I-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/.
What does "deviate" mean?
As a verb, "deviate" means: To go off course from; to change course; to change plans.
What words are commonly confused with "deviate"?
"deviate" is commonly confused with "device", "devote", "devise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "deviate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "deviate" is /ˈdiː.vi.eɪt/. 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 "deviate"?
From Late Latin dēviātus, perfect passive participle of dēviō, see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Compare French dévier. 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 "deviate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dialing#26,754curving#26,743Donkeys#26,761Dreyfus#26,765

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

decked9 variantsDorsey9 variantsdowner9 variantsdribble9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list