devour
/dɪˈvaʊɚ/verb
devour is spelled D-E-V-O-U-R: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, devour means “To eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in devour?
| Letters | 6: D-E-V-O-U-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 23,253rd 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 devour?
Devour appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 23,253rd 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 devour?
- UK /dɪˈvaʊə(ɹ)/
- US /dɪˈvaʊɚ/
Devour has 3 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-devour.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with devour
Also written: devore.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with devour?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as devour from its last stressed vowel (/aʊəɹ/):
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 devour
- devours present, singular, he/she/it
- devouring participle, present
- devoured participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does devour mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To eat quickly, greedily, hungrily, or ravenously.
- 2
To rapidly destroy, engulf, or lay waste.
The fire was devouring the building.
- 3
To take in avidly with the intellect or with one's gaze.
She intended to devour the book.
- 4
To absorb or engross the mind fully, especially in a destructive manner.
After the death of his wife, he was devoured by grief.
- 5
Synonym of eat: to be very good at something; to slay.
She devoured! She left no crumbs!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Devour in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dévorer |
| German | verschlingen, fressen, schlingen, herunterschlingen , zerstören, vernichten |
| Portuguese | devorar |
| Spanish | devorar, jambar |
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 devour come from?
Inherited from Middle English devouren, from Old French devorer (Modern French dévorer), from Latin dēvorō, from vorō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).