Which to use
“Provo” is a name and “provoke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,650
- “Provo” frequency rank
- #15,035
- “provoke” frequency rank
- 49685
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Provo | provoke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A Dutch counterculture movement of the 1960s. | To cause someone to become annoyed or angry. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Provo and provoke apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Provo and provoke form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Provo” sits inside “provoke” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49685, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Provo is recorded at frequency rank #34,650, classified as aname, pronounced /ˈpɹəʊ.vəʊ/. 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 49685, this pair ranks #181,300 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Provo" and "provoke" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Provo vs provoke
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Provo”; for a verb, it's “provoke”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Provo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable