Which to use
“detestar” and “devastar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,446
- “detestar” frequency rank
- #47,300
- “devastar” frequency rank
- 88746
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | detestar | devastar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sentir ódio por | arruinar, assolar |
Where the eye mixes detestar and devastar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses detestar with devastar
A purely visual mix-up. detestar (/de.teʃ.ˈtaχ/, /de.teʃ.ˈta/) and devastar (/dɨ.vɐʃ.ˈtaɾ/) 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 88746, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
detestar is recorded at frequency rank #41,446, classified as averb, pronounced /de.teʃ.ˈtaχ/, /de.teʃ.ˈta/. devastar is at rank #47,300, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨ.vɐʃ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 88746, this pair ranks #381 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of detestar vs devastar
Shared letters: aderst. Private to "detestar": -. Private to "devastar": v.
"detestar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "devastar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "detestar" and "devastar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "detestar" or "devastar"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "detestar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "devastar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #381 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "detestar" and "devastar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "degustar vs devastar". 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 #381 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.