devote

/dɪˈvəʊt/

//dɪˈvəʊt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“devote” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,311. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,311
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-devote · devote · English

devote · rank #14,311 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,311
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH debuted

Nearest frequency peer: debuted (-3 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 “devote”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “devote” 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).

devote vs devout
67% similar
devote vs devour
67% similar
devote vs devoted
86% similar

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

Key facts for devote
PropertyValue
Headworddevote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/dɪˈvəʊt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,311
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “devote”

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).devotelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “debuted” (#14,308), “dispose” (#14,314), “Dalton” (#14,307). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “devote” is #14,311. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around devote (IPA /dɪˈvəʊt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #14,311 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for devote, with forms such as "ddevote", "deovte", and "devoet". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "devout", "devour", "devoted", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is devote, spelled D-E-V-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
  2. 2
    to consign over; to doom
  3. 3
    to execrate; to curse

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They devoted their lives to following Jesus Christ.
  2. I devoted this afternoon to repainting my study, and nothing will get in my way.

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

dedicar(Español)consacrer(Français)widmen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddevote
  • deovte
  • devoet
  • devotte
  • devtoe
  • devvote
  • dveote
  • edvote

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ddevote1deovte2devoet2devotte1devtoe2devvote1dveote2edvote2
Edit distance from "devote"

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 "devote"?
"devote" is spelled D-E-V-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈvəʊt/.
What does "devote" mean?
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.
What words are commonly confused with "devote"?
"devote" is commonly confused with "devout", "devour", "devoted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "devote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "devote" is /dɪˈvəʊt/. 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 "devote"?
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. 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 "devote", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Dalton#14,307choked#14,293fungus#14,329Camden#14,288

Similar misspelling depth

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

Everett8 variantsClint8 variantsFranz8 variantschevy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list