PhobievsProbeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Phobie” and “Probe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,137
“Phobie” frequency rank
#5,209
“Probe” frequency rank
45346
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Phobie Probe
Definition krankhafte Angst; krankhafte Furcht; eine unbegründete, anhaltende Angst vor Situationen, Gegenständen, Tätigkeiten oder Personen das Einstudieren bei aufführenden Künsten

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Phobie and Probe apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Phobie
5 ch
Probe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Phobie ([foˈbiː]) and Probe ([ˈpʁoːbə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Phobie is recorded at frequency rank #40,137, classified as anoun, pronounced [foˈbiː]. Probe is at rank #5,209, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁoːbə].

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 45346, this pair ranks #1,356,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Phobie vs Probe

Shared letters: beop. Private to "Phobie": hi. Private to "Probe": r.

"Phobie" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV  ·  "Probe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Phobiehpobie · phboie · phhobie · phobbie · phobei · phoibe · pohbie · pphobie
  • Probeporbe · pprobe · prboe · probbe · proeb · prrobe · rpobe

Frequency comparison

Phobie#40,137
Probe#5,209

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Phobie" and "Probe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([foˈbiː] versus [ˈpʁoːbə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Phobie" or "Probe"?
"Probe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,209 in our German list, against #40,137 for "Phobie". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Phobie vs Probe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Phobie” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list