Which to use
“poo” and “proof” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,190
- “poo” frequency rank
- #2,052
- “proof” frequency rank
- 16242
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | poo | proof |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative spelling of pooh: an instance of saying "poo". | An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial. |
Where the eye mixes poo and proof
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: poo vs proof
A purely visual mix-up. poo (/puː/) and proof (/pɹuːf/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
poo is recorded at frequency rank #14,190, classified as anoun, pronounced /puː/. proof is at rank #2,052, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɹuːf/.
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 16242, this pair ranks #459,003 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of poo vs proof
Shared letters: op. Private to "poo": -. Private to "proof": fr.
"poo" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "proof" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- proof ← porof · pproof · prof · profo · prooff · prroof · rpoof
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "poo" for "proof" ever safe?
Frequency check: "poo" vs "proof" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "poo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "proof" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #459,003 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "poo" and "proof" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poo vs PPA". 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 #459,003 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.