device

/dɪˈvaɪs/

//dɪˈvaɪs// noun

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

"device" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“device” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,150. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,150
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.

Corpus desk

Index EN-device · device · English

device · rank #2,150 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,150
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH confirmed

Nearest frequency peer: confirmed (-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 “device”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “device” 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).

device vs dice
67% similar
device vs devil
67% similar
device vs Devin
50% similar

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

Key facts for device
PropertyValue
Headworddevice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/dɪˈvaɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,150
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “device”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).devicelands 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 “confirmed” (#2,149), “drama” (#2,151), “CA” (#2,148). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “device” is #2,150. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around device (IPA /dɪˈvaɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,150 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
  2. 2
    A peripheral device; an item of hardware.
  3. 3
    A 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."
  4. 4
    An improvised explosive device, home-made bomb
  5. 5
    A technique that an author or speaker uses to evoke an emotional response in the audience; a rhetorical device.
  6. 6
    A 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.
  7. 7
    Power of devising; invention; contrivance.
  8. 8
    An image used in whole or in part as a trademark or service mark.
  9. 9
    An image or logo denoting official or proprietary authority or provenience.
  10. 10
    Any specific class of wordplay element in a cryptic crossword.
  11. 11
    A spectacle or show.
  12. 12
    Opinion; decision.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1949. Geneva Convention on Road Traffic Chapter VI. Provisions Applicable to Cycles in International Traffic Every cycle shall be equipped with: … (b) an audible warning device consisting of a bell …
  2. An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.

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).

Synonyms

apparatusapplianceequipmentgadgetdesigncontrivanceschemeprojectstratagemartificeinventioncontrivancedevice

This word in other languages

dispositivo(Español)appareil(Français)Gerät(Deutsch)aparelho(Português)

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.

ddevice1deivce2devcie2devicce1deviec2devvice1dveice2edvice2
Edit distance from "device"

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 "device"?
"device" is spelled D-E-V-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈvaɪs/.
What does "device" mean?
As a noun, "device" means: Any piece of equipment made for a particular purpose, especially a mechanical or electrical one.
What words are commonly confused with "device"?
"device" is commonly confused with "dice", "devil", "Devin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "device"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "device" is /dɪˈvaɪs/. 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 "device"?
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... 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 "device", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Boston#2,147factor#2,154golden#2,156appeal#2,143

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

entry8 variantsapplied8 variantsgrant8 variantsgrown8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list