prob

noun

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

The verdict

“prob” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,003 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,003
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Clipping of problem.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

prob vs pub
50% similar
prob vs pry
50% similar
prob vs PRS
0% similar

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

Key facts for prob
PropertyValue
Headwordprob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#17,003
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prob” 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). prob lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for prob is 4 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #17,003 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Clipping of problem.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for prob, with forms such as "porb", "pprob", and "prbo". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pub", "pry", "PRS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct English form is prob, spelled P-R-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Clipping of problem.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: porb,pprob,prbo,probb,prrob,rpob

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prob - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

porb2pprob1prbo2probb1prrob1rpob2
Edit distance from "prob"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "prob"?
"prob" is spelled P-R-O-B.
What does "prob" mean?
As a noun, "prob" means: Clipping of problem.
What words are commonly confused with "prob"?
"prob" is commonly confused with "pub", "pry", "PRS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "prob" come from?
"prob" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “prob”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-R-O-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “pub” - see the side-by-side comparison. prob vs pub
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list