Which to use
“programs” and “progress” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,351
- “programs” frequency rank
- #1,734
- “progress” frequency rank
- 3085
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | programs | progress |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of program | Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time. |
Where the eye mixes programs and progress
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between programs and progress
A purely visual mix-up. programs (/ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹæmz/) and progress (/ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/) 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 3085, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
programs is recorded at frequency rank #1,351, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹæmz/. progress is at rank #1,734, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/.
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 3085, this pair ranks #523,161 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of programs vs progress
Shared letters: goprs. Private to "programs": am. Private to "progress": e.
"programs" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "progress" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "programs" for "progress" ever safe?
Which is more common, "programs" or "progress"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "programs" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "progress" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #523,161 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "programs" and "progress" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "profess vs progress". 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 #523,161 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.