Which to use
“prove” and “provoke” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,771
- “prove” frequency rank
- #15,035
- “provoke” frequency rank
- 16806
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | prove | provoke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify. | To cause someone to become annoyed or angry. |
Where the eye mixes prove and provoke
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. prove runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against provoke's 7 (CCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses prove with provoke
A purely visual mix-up. prove (/pɹuːv/) and provoke (/pɹəˈvəʊk/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
prove is recorded at frequency rank #1,771, classified as averb, pronounced /pɹuːv/. provoke is at rank #15,035, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɹəˈvəʊk/.
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 16806, this pair ranks #455,463 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of prove vs provoke
Shared letters: eoprv. Private to "prove": -. Private to "provoke": k.
"prove" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "provoke" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "prove" and "provoke" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "prove" vs "provoke" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "prove" and "provoke" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "prove" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "provoke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #455,463 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "prove" and "provoke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "prove vs prude". 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 #455,463 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.