Which to use
“prog” is an adjective and “prove” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,952
- “prog” frequency rank
- #1,771
- “prove” frequency rank
- 25723
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prog | prove |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abbreviation of progressive. | To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify. |
Where the eye mixes prog and prove
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between prog and prove
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: prog is /pɹɒɡ/ while prove is /pɹuːv/. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25723, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prog is recorded at frequency rank #23,952, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɹɒɡ/. prove is at rank #1,771, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɹuːv/.
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 25723, this pair ranks #392,144 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of prog vs prove
Shared letters: opr. Private to "prog": g. Private to "prove": ev.
"prog" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "prove" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "prog" for "prove" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "prog" or "prove" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "prog" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prove" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #392,144 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prog" and "prove" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poon vs prog". 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 #392,144 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.