devolution
/diːvəˈluːʃən/
"devolution" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“devolution” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,752 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #26,752
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A rolling down.
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 | devolution |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /diːvəˈluːʃən/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #26,752 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “devolution” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for devolution is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /diːvəˈluːʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,752 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for devolution, with forms such as "ddevolution", "deovlution", and "devloution". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "devotion", "demolition", "desolation", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French dévolution, from Medieval Latin devolutio, devolutionis, from Latin devolvo. The correct English form is devolution, spelled D-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A rolling down.
- 2A descent, especially one that passes through a series of revolutions, or by succession.
- 3The transference of a right to a successor, or of a power from one body to another.
- 4Degeneration.
- 5The transfer of some powers and the delegation of some functions from a central government to local government (e.g. from the U.K. parliament to Scottish parliament and Welsh assembly).
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French dévolution, from Medieval Latin devolutio, devolutionis, from Latin devolvo.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ddevolution,deovlution,devloution,devollution,devoltuion,devoluiton,devolusion,devolutino,devolutionn,devolutoin,devoluttion,devoultion,devvolution,dveolution,edvolution
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of devolution - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "devolution"?
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Using “devolution”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /diːvəˈluːʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “devotion” - see the side-by-side comparison. devolution vs devotion
- 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.