• 2-minute read
• 22nd November 2015

Word Choice: Device vs. Devise

Some words seem designed to be confusing. ‘Device’ and ‘devise’, for instance, are near enough identical in spelling and pronunciation that even native English speakers get them mixed up now and then, yet they differ importantly in their meanings.

Thankfully, here at Proofread My Essay, we enjoy nothing more than busting the ghosts of word choice confusion, like a cross between Egon Spengler and the Oxford English Dictionary. So to help out, we’ve thrown together this guide to using ‘device’ and ‘devise’ correctly.

Device (Gadgets Galore)

‘Device’ is a noun meaning ‘a thing made for a particular purpose’, especially an electronic or mechanical gadget:

While working at the Apple store, Jimmy came home with a fancy new device every week.

A slightly less common use of ‘device’ is to mean ‘method’ or ‘technique’, such as in the term ‘mnemonic device’ (i.e. a memory aid). You might encounter this use of ‘device’ in literary studies, where the terms ‘literary device’ and ‘rhetorical device’ refer to words being used to produce a particular effect:

Shakespeare used various rhetorical devices to evoke an emotional response in his audience.

Devise (Plotting and Scheming)

The main use of ‘devise’ is as a verb meaning ‘plan’ or ‘formulate’:

Every evening, Pinky and the Brain devise a plot to take over the world.

The only real exception here is in the legal field, where ‘devise’ is a noun describing either:

1. Lands or property bequeathed in a will
2. The act of bequeathing lands or property in a will

Unless you’re studying law, though, it’s unlikely you’ll need to use this term as a noun like this.

Device or Devise?

People often use ‘devise’ when they mean ‘device’ because the latter is pronounced with a soft ‘c’. However, as long as you remember that ‘device’ is a noun and ‘devise’ is usually a verb, you should be able to tell them apart:

• If you’re describing an object designed for a particular purpose, use the noun ‘device’
• If you’re describing the act of coming up with a plan, then use the verb ‘devise’