Which to use
“Deva” is a name and “duela” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,578
- “Deva” frequency rank
- #17,414
- “duela” frequency rank
- 66992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Deva | duela |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apellido. | Cada una de las tablas generalmente encorvadas, de que se componen las pipas, cubas, barriles, toneles, etc. |
Where the eye mixes Deva and duela
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Deva runs 4 letters (CVCV) against duela's 5 (CVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Deva with duela
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Deva is [ˈd̪eβ̞a] while duela is [ˈd̪wela]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66992, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Deva is recorded at frequency rank #49,578, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈd̪eβ̞a]. duela is at rank #17,414, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪wela].
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 66992, this pair ranks #38,313 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Deva vs duela
Shared letters: ade. Private to "Deva": v. Private to "duela": lu.
"Deva" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "duela" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Deva" and "duela" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "Deva" or "duela" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Deva" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "duela" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,313 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Deva" and "duela" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "deli vs Deva". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #38,313 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.