Which to use
“desire” and “device” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,556
- “desire” frequency rank
- #45,804
- “device” frequency rank
- 78360
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desire | device |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | desejo | equipamento |
Letter map: desire vs device
Shared letters muted; letters that set desire and device apart highlighted. Shared run: 4.
Pair insight - desire / device
desire and device are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78360, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desire is recorded at frequency rank #32,556, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈzaɪə/. device is at rank #45,804, tagged as anoun.
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 78360, this pair ranks #1,697 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of desire vs device
Shared letters: dei. Private to "desire": rs. Private to "device": cv.
"desire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "device" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desire" and "device" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "desire" or "device"?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "desire" and "device".
- Full dictionary entry for "desire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "device" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,697 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desire" and "device" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "devi vs device". 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 #1,697 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.