Which to use
“proof” is a noun and “Provo” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,052
- “proof” frequency rank
- #34,650
- “Provo” frequency rank
- 36702
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | proof | Provo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial. | A Dutch counterculture movement of the 1960s. |
Where the eye mixes proof and Provo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses proof with Provo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: proof is /pɹuːf/ while Provo is /ˈpɹəʊ.vəʊ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36702, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
proof is recorded at frequency rank #2,052, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɹuːf/. Provo is at rank #34,650, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˈpɹəʊ.vəʊ/.
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 36702, this pair ranks #300,921 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of proof vs Provo
Shared letters: opr. Private to "proof": f. Private to "Provo": v.
"proof" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Provo" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "proof" for "Provo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "proof" vs "Provo" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "proof" and "Provo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "proof" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Provo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #300,921 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "proof" and "Provo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "proviso vs Provo". 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 #300,921 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.