Devon

Name: Devon, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈdɛv.ən/

//ˈdɛv.ən// name

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Devon” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,033 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#9,033
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A county of England bordered by Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, the Bristol Channel and the English Channel.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Devon vs don

40% similar

Devon vs Dion

60% similar

Devon vs devs

40% similar

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

Key facts for Devon
Property	Value
Headword	Devon
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/ˈdɛv.ən/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#9,033
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Devon” sits in English frequency

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

#9,033

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Devon is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdɛv.ən/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,033 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 16 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Devon, with forms such as "ddevon", "deovn", and "devno". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "don", "Dion", "devs", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old English Defenas, which meant both "Devonians" and "Devon," exemplifying the common Anglo-Saxon practice of naming a place after the people who inhabit it. The correct English form is Devon, spelled D-E-V-O-N.

Definition

1
A county of England bordered by Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, the Bristol Channel and the English Channel.
2
A river in Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, England, a tributary to the Trent.
3
A river in Clackmannanshire council area and Perth and Kinross council area, Scotland, a tributary of the Forth.
4
A place in Canada:
5
A place in Canada:
6
A place in Canada:
7
A place in the United States:
8
A place in the United States:
9
A place in the United States:
10
A place in the United States:
11
A place in the United States:
12
A settlement in Gauteng province, South Africa.
13
An English earldom.
14
A male given name transferred from the place name, or a variant of Devin.
15
A female given name transferred from the place name, of modern American usage.
16
A surname.

Etymology

From Old English Defenas, which meant both "Devonians" and "Devon," exemplifying the common Anglo-Saxon practice of naming a place after the people who inhabit it.

Synonyms

Devonshire

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ddevon,deovn,devno,devonn,devvon,dveon,edvon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "Devon"

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 "Devon"?

"Devon" is spelled D-E-V-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdɛv.ən/.

What does "Devon" mean?

As a proper noun, "Devon" means: A county of England bordered by Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, the Bristol Channel and the English Channel.

What words are commonly confused with "Devon"?

"Devon" is commonly confused with "don", "Dion", "devs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "Devon"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Devon" is /ˈdɛv.ən/. 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 "Devon"?

From Old English Defenas, which meant both "Devonians" and "Devon," exemplifying the common Anglo-Saxon practice of naming a place after the people who inhabit it. 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.

Using “Devon”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is D-E-V-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈdɛv.ən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “don” - see the side-by-side comparison. Devon vs don
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.