Which to use
“pokes” and “proves” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,127
- “pokes” frequency rank
- #6,506
- “proves” frequency rank
- 38633
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pokes | proves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of poke | third-person singular simple present indicative of prove |
Where the eye mixes pokes and proves
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pokes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against proves's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between pokes and proves
A purely visual mix-up. pokes (/pəʊks/) and proves (/pɹuːvz/) 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 38633, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pokes is recorded at frequency rank #32,127, classified as averb, pronounced /pəʊks/. proves is at rank #6,506, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɹuːvz/.
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 38633, this pair ranks #284,188 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pokes vs proves
Shared letters: eops. Private to "pokes": k. Private to "proves": rv.
"pokes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "proves" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pokes" and "proves" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "pokes" vs "proves" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pokes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "proves" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #284,188 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pokes" and "proves" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pokes vs Pyke". 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 #284,188 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.