Grammar 101: Devise vs. Device

Because “devise” and “device” are homophones (words that sound alike), they are often confused. Some tips on telling them apart. 

Devise 

Is a verb: A word or phrase that describes an action, condition, or experience. When spoken, it rhymes with 'realize' [z].

Device 

Is a noun: A word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality. When spoken, it rhymes with 'ice' [s].

Devise 

To contrive, plan, or elaborate; invent from existing ideas. 

Device 

A thing made for a specific purpose; an invention, especially a mechanical or electrical one.

Devise 

The synonyms for this word include: Conceive, create, formulate, hatch, invent, prepare, craft, plan. 

Device 

The synonyms for this word include: Gadget, project, design.

Devise 

• I hope to devise a better travel plan, so that we don’t waste too much time in transit. 

• My basketball coach believes he can devise a fail-proof strategy for the team to win the Grand Final tomorrow.

• I think I devised a way to cook the chicken in half the usual time.

• Susan devised a surprise party to welcome her brother who is visiting from France. 

Device 

• Do you have a device that has an internet connection and a camera? 

• This heating device is powered by gas. 

• A GPS device is essential when you are travelling in an unfamiliar city. 

• Barry loves to take electrical devices apart. 

Reference: Cambridge Dictionary 

In written English, it is important to know the correct spelling of a word you want to use. For example, you don’t want to write “weak” when you mean “week” even though they sound the same. In spoken English, spelling is less important, but pronunciation is. Think about the word “lead” which can be pronounced as “led” or “leed.” Because these words cause a lot of confusion, it’s well worth to spend a few minutes to know the difference: homophones vs homographs vs homonyms. Read more here. 

People often use elude when they mean allude, or write allude when they should really write elude. There are other commonly confused words too: Do you know the difference between belief or believe? That is the question of another article where we explain the difference between these two commonly misused words. Read it here.