divan
/dɪˈvæn/
"divan" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“divan” is an uncommon English word, ranked #51,069 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #51,069
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | divan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /dɪˈvæn/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #51,069 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “divan” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for divan is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈvæn/. Corpus data places it at rank #51,069 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
divan doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French, from Ottoman Turkish دیوان (divan), from Classical Persian دیوان (dēwān), from Middle Persian d(p)ywʾn' (dēwān, “archive, collected writings”), from Sumerian 𒁾 (dub). Compare mattress, from Arabic (both of Middle Eastern origin, due t… The correct English form is divan, spelled D-I-V-A-N.
Definition
- 1A Muslim council of state, specifically that of viziers of the Ottoman Empire that discussed and recommended new laws and law changes to a higher authority (the sultan).
- 2The council chamber where this court is held; (by extension), any court of justice.
- 3Any council or assembly.
- 4A couch or sofa-like piece of furniture made of a mattress lying against the wall and on either the floor or an elevated structure.
- 5An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.
- 6An establishment that serves cigars and coffee, and may offer other amenities such as books, newspapers, and chess.
- 7A collection of poems, especially one written by an author in Arabic or Persian.
Etymology
Borrowed from French, from Ottoman Turkish دیوان (divan), from Classical Persian دیوان (dēwān), from Middle Persian d(p)ywʾn' (dēwān, “archive, collected writings”), from Sumerian 𒁾 (dub). Compare mattress, from Arabic (both of Middle Eastern origin, due to the local custom of lying on padding on floor being foreign to Europeans). Doublet of dewan, douane, and diwaniya.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “divan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-I-V-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈvæn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.