Which to use
“proud” and “proxy” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,735
- “proud” frequency rank
- #10,749
- “proxy” frequency rank
- 12484
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | proud | proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Feeling honoured (by something); feeling happy or satisfied about an event or fact; gratified. | Used as a proxy or acting as a proxy. |
Where the eye mixes proud and proxy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between proud and proxy
A purely visual mix-up. proud (/pɹaʊd/) and proxy (/ˈpɹɒk.si/) 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 12484, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
proud is recorded at frequency rank #1,735, classified as anadj, pronounced /pɹaʊd/. proxy is at rank #10,749, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈpɹɒk.si/.
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 12484, this pair ranks #481,306 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of proud vs proxy
Shared letters: opr. Private to "proud": du. Private to "proxy": xy.
"proud" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "proxy" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "proud" and "proxy" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "proud" vs "proxy" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "proud" and "proxy" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "proud" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "proxy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #481,306 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "proud" and "proxy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "peony vs proxy". 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 #481,306 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.