Which to use
“desolación” and “devolución” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,157
- “desolación” frequency rank
- #10,314
- “devolución” frequency rank
- 39471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desolación | devolución |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Desconsuelo, angustia, aflicción. | Acción de devolver |
Where the eye mixes desolación and devolución
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. desolación and devolución follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: desolación vs devolución
A purely visual mix-up. desolación ([d̪esolaˈsjõn]) and devolución ([d̪eβ̞oluˈsjõn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desolación is recorded at frequency rank #29,157, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪esolaˈsjõn]. devolución is at rank #10,314, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪eβ̞oluˈsjõn].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 39471, this pair ranks #164,291 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of desolación vs devolución
Shared letters: cdeilnoó. Private to "desolación": as. Private to "devolución": uv.
"desolación" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC · "devolución" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desolación" and "devolución" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "desolación" vs "devolución" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "desolación" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devolución" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,291 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desolación" and "devolución" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desolación vs despoblación". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #164,291 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.