Which to use
“port” is a noun and “pry” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,913
- “port” frequency rank
- #26,212
- “pry” frequency rank
- 28125
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | port | pry |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A place on the coast at which ships can shelter, or dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. | To peer closely and curiously, especially at something closed or not public. |
Where the eye mixes port and pry
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: port is /pɔːt/ while pry is /pɹaɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 28125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
port is recorded at frequency rank #1,913, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɔːt/. pry is at rank #26,212, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɹaɪ/.
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 28125, this pair ranks #373,526 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of port vs pry
Shared letters: pr. Private to "port": ot. Private to "pry": y.
"port" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "pry" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- port ← oprt · porrt · portt · potr · pport
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "port" and "pry" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "port" or "pry"?
What to do next
You've compared "port" and "pry". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "port" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pry" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #373,526 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "port" and "pry" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "PPA vs pry". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.