Which to use
“strode” and “strove” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,861
- “strode” frequency rank
- #43,398
- “strove” frequency rank
- 77259
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | strode | strove |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past of stride | simple past of strive |
Where the eye mixes strode and strove
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses strode with strove
A purely visual mix-up. strode (/stɹəʊd/) and strove (/ˈstɹɔʊv/) 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 a single letter - d in “strode” becomes v in “strove”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77259, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
strode is recorded at frequency rank #33,861, classified as averb, pronounced /stɹəʊd/. strove is at rank #43,398, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈstɹɔʊv/.
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 77259, this pair ranks #27,756 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of strode vs strove
Shared letters: eorst. Private to "strode": d. Private to "strove": v.
"strode" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "strove" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "strode" for "strove" ever safe?
Which is more common, "strode" or "strove"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "strode" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strove" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #27,756 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "strode" and "strove" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stover vs strove". 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 #27,756 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.