ProbevsprobierWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: Probe is a noun, probier is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Probe” is a noun and “probier” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,209
“Probe” frequency rank
#12,366
“probier” frequency rank
17575
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Probe probier
Definition das Einstudieren bei aufführenden Künsten 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs probieren

Where the eye mixes Probe and probier

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

5 ch
Probe
7 ch
probier

Visual trap between Probe and probier

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Probe is [ˈpʁoːbə] while probier is [pʁoˈbiːɐ̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17575, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Probe is recorded at frequency rank #5,209, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁoːbə]. probier is at rank #12,366, tagged as averb, pronounced [pʁoˈbiːɐ̯].

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 17575, this pair ranks #1,926,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Probe vs probier

Shared letters: beopr. Private to "Probe": -. Private to "probier": i.

"Probe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "probier" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Probeporbe · pprobe · prboe · probbe · proeb · prrobe · rpobe
  • probierporbier · pprobier · prboier · probbier · probeir · probierr · probire · proiber

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Probe" and "probier" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Probe" is a noun and "probier" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Probe" vs "probier" - which ranks higher?
"Probe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,209 in our German list, against #12,366 for "probier". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Probe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "probier" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,926,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Probe" and "probier" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "probier vs probierte". 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 #1,926,155 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list