defvsdeveWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: def is a adjective, deve is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“def” is an adjective and “deve” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,132
“def” frequency rank
#182
“deve” frequency rank
32314
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature def deve
Definition algo muito bom terceira pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo dever

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set def and deve apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
def
4 ch
deve

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: def is anadjective and deveaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32314, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

def is recorded at frequency rank #32,132, classified as anadj, pronounced /dɛf/. deve is at rank #182, tagged as averb.

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 32314, this pair ranks #35,523 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of def vs deve

Shared letters: de. Private to "def": f. Private to "deve": v.

"def" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "deve" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • deveddeve · deev · devve · dvee · edve

Frequency comparison

def#32,132
deve#182

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "def" and "deve" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "def" is an adjective and "deve" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "def" or "deve"?
"deve" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #182 in our Portuguese list, against #32,132 for "def". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering def vs deve

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “def”; for a verb, it's “deve”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “def” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list