device
/dɪˈvaɪs/
"device" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“device” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,150 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #2,150
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | device |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈvaɪs/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #2,150 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “device” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for device is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈvaɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,150 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for device, with forms such as "ddevice", "deivce", and "devcie". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "dice", "devil", "Devin", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-Euro… The correct English form is device, spelled D-E-V-I-C-E.
Definition
- 1Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
- 2A peripheral device; an item of hardware.
- 3A project or scheme, often designed to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice. 1602, Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor. "This is our device,/ That Falstaff at that oak shall meet with us."
- 4An improvised explosive device, home-made bomb
- 5A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device.
- 6A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device. (heraldry) A motto, emblem, or other mark used to distinguish the bearer from others. A device differs from a badge or cognizance primarily as it is a personal distinction, and not a badge borne by members of the same house successively.
- 7Power of devising; invention; contrivance.
- 8An image used in whole or in part as a trademark or service mark.
- 9An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.
- 10Any specific class of wordplay element in a cryptic crossword.
- 11A spectacle or show.
- 12Opinion; decision.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- ▲ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-der. Proto-Italic *wiðō Latin *vidō Latin dīvidō Latin dīvīsus Old French devisbor. Middle English devis English device From Middle English devis, devise, devyce, devys, devyse, from Old French devis and devise, from Latin dīvīsus, past participle of dīvidō (“to divide”). Doublet of devise (noun).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddevice,deivce,devcie,devicce,deviec,devvice,dveice,edvice
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of device - 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.
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
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Using “device”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-V-I-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈvaɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “dice” - see the side-by-side comparison. device vs dice
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.