devote
/dɪˈvoʊt/verb
devote is spelled D-E-V-O-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, devote means “to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in devote?
| Letters | 6: D-E-V-O-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.4 times per million words; the 14,307th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is devote?
Devote appears 3.4 times per million words in written English, the 14,307th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce devote?
- UK /dɪˈvəʊt/
- US /dɪˈvoʊt/
- Australia /dɪˈvəʉt/
Devote has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-devote.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with devote?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as devote from its last stressed vowel (/oʊt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of devote
- devotes present, singular, he/she/it
- devoting participle, present
- devoted participle, past
- more devote comparative
- most devote superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does devote mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
They devoted their lives to following Jesus Christ.
- 2
to consign over; to doom
to devote one to destruction
- 3
to execrate; to curse
adjective
- 1
obsoletedevoted; addicted; devout
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Devote in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to commit for a certain matter:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | consacrer, vouer |
| German | widmen, verpflichten |
| Portuguese | devotar |
| Spanish | devotar, abocarse, desvivirse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does devote come from?
Borrowed from Latin dēvōtus, past participle of Latin dēvoveō (“dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly”). Doublet of devow; see also devout. Displaced native Middle English ēstful, from Old English ēstful.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).