Devonian

/dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.ən/

//dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.ən// adj

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

"devonian" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Devonian” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,770. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,770
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises lower, middle and upper epochs from about 415 to 360 million years ago.

Corpus desk

Index EN-devonian · Devonian · English

Devonian · rank #32,770 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #32,770
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH devouring

Nearest frequency peer: devouring (+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 “Devonian”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Devonian” 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).

Devonian vs devotion
63% similar

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

Key facts for Devonian
PropertyValue
HeadwordDevonian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.ən/
Letters8
Frequency rank#32,770
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Devonian”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “devouring” (#32,771), “determinant” (#32,768), “dias” (#32,772). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “Devonian” is #32,770. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Devonian (IPA /dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.ən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #32,770 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Devonian, with forms such as "ddevonian", "deovnian", and "devnoian". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "devotion", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin Devōnia (“Devon”) + -an. By surface analysis, Devon + -ian. Doublet of Dumnonian. The correct English form is Devonian, spelled D-E-V-O-N-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises lower, middle and upper epochs from about 415 to 360 million years ago.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to the English region of Devon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. This relic may, perhaps, serve, as a reminder of busier and more prosperous days on this Devonian railway byway.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin Devōnia (“Devon”) + -an. By surface analysis, Devon + -ian. Doublet of Dumnonian.

This word in other languages

dévonien(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddevonian
  • deovnian
  • devnoian
  • devoinan
  • devonain
  • devoniann
  • devonina
  • devonnian
  • devvonian
  • dveonian
  • edvonian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Devonian - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddevonian1deovnian2devnoian2devoinan2devonain2devoniann1devonina2devonnian1
Edit distance from "Devonian"

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 "Devonian"?
"Devonian" is spelled D-E-V-O-N-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.ən/.
What does "Devonian" mean?
As an adjective, "Devonian" means: Of a geologic period within the Paleozoic era; comprises lower, middle and upper epochs from about 415 to 360 million years ago.
What words are commonly confused with "Devonian"?
"Devonian" is commonly confused with "devotion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Devonian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Devonian" is /dɛˈvəʊ.nɪ.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 "Devonian"?
From Medieval Latin Devōnia (“Devon”) + -an. By surface analysis, Devon + -ian. Doublet of Dumnonian. 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 "Devonian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

destruct#32,767deflated#32,762deafness#32,759elliptic#32,788

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

eagerness11 variantsemporium11 variantsepidural11 variantsequating11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list