Which to use
“promote” and “propose” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,697
- “promote” frequency rank
- #7,269
- “propose” frequency rank
- 9966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | promote | propose |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To raise (someone) to a more important, responsible, or remunerative job or rank. | To suggest a plan, course of action, etc. |
Where the eye mixes promote and propose
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. promote and propose follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: promote vs propose
A purely visual mix-up. promote (/pɹəˈmoʊt/) and propose (/pɹəˈpəʊz/) 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 9966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
promote is recorded at frequency rank #2,697, classified as averb, pronounced /pɹəˈmoʊt/. propose is at rank #7,269, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɹəˈpəʊz/.
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 9966, this pair ranks #494,693 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of promote vs propose
Shared letters: eopr. Private to "promote": mt. Private to "propose": s.
"promote" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV · "propose" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "promote" and "propose" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "promote" or "propose"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "promote" and "propose" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "promote" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "propose" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #494,693 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "promote" and "propose" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "propose vs provost". 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 #494,693 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.