poke

/pəʊk/

//pəʊk// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"poke" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poke” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,037. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,037
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poke · poke · English

poke · rank #13,037 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,037
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pertaining

Nearest frequency peer: pertaining (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “poke”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “poke” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poke vs pop
50% similar
poke vs pot
50% similar
poke vs pos
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for poke
PropertyValue
Headwordpoke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pəʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,037
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “poke” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). poke lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around poke (IPA /pəʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #13,037 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for poke, with forms such as "opke", "pkoe", and "poek". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pop", "pot", "pos", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poken, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, both from Proto-West Germanic *pukōn or similar, which is itself of uncertain origin, but may be from an imitative Proto-Germanic root *puk-. Doublet of poach. The correct English form is poke, spelled P-O-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.
  2. 2
    To stir up a fire to remove ash or promote burning.
  3. 3
    To rummage; to feel or grope around.
  4. 4
    To modify the value stored in (a memory address).
  5. 5
    To put a poke (device to prevent leaping or breaking fences) on (an animal).
  6. 6
    To thrust at with the horns; to gore.
  7. 7
    To notify (another user) of activity on social media or an instant messenger.
  8. 8
    To thrust (something) in a particular direction such as the tongue.
  9. 9
    To penetrate in sexual intercourse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how poke appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ward showed good pace to beat the advancing Reina to the ball and poke a low finish into the corner.
  2. I poked about in the rubble, trying to find my lost keys.

Etymology

From Middle English poken, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, both from Proto-West Germanic *pukōn or similar, which is itself of uncertain origin, but may be from an imitative Proto-Germanic root *puk-. Doublet of poach.

This word in other languages

hurgar(Español)piquer(Français)stochern(Deutsch)cutucar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opke
  • pkoe
  • poek
  • pokke
  • ppoke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poke - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

opke2pkoe2poek2pokke1ppoke1
Edit distance from "poke"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "poke"?
"poke" is spelled P-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pəʊk/.
What does "poke" mean?
As a verb, "poke" means: To prod or jab with an object such as a finger or a stick.
What words are commonly confused with "poke"?
"poke" is commonly confused with "pop", "pot", "pos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poke" is /pəʊk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "poke"?
From Middle English poken, perhaps from Middle Dutch poken or Middle Low German poken, both from Proto-West Germanic *pukōn or similar, which is itself of uncertain origin, but may be from an imitative Proto-Germanic root *puk-. Doublet of poach. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "poke", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pres#13,041mare#13,015yarn#13,082hale#12,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

rugged5 variantsgrad5 variantsBrit5 variantsfart5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "poke". Here's where to go from here.

  • "poke" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pop". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #13,037 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list