Which to use
“Probe” and “Proxy” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,209
- “Probe” frequency rank
- #36,561
- “Proxy” frequency rank
- 41770
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Probe | Proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Einstudieren bei aufführenden Künsten | ein Vermittler, der auf der einen Seite Anfragen entgegennimmt, um dann über seine eigene Adresse eine Verbindung zur anderen Seite herzustellen |
Where the eye mixes Probe and Proxy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Probe with Proxy
A purely visual mix-up. Probe ([ˈpʁoːbə]) and Proxy ([ˈpʁɔksi]) 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 41770, 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]. Proxy is at rank #36,561, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpʁɔksi].
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 41770, this pair ranks #1,469,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Probe vs Proxy
Shared letters: opr. Private to "Probe": be. Private to "Proxy": xy.
"Probe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Proxy" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Probe" and "Proxy" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "Probe" or "Proxy" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Probe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Proxy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,469,590 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Probe" and "Proxy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prob vs Proxy". 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 #1,469,590 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.