probate

/ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/

//ˈpɹəʊbeɪt// noun

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

"probate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“probate” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,638. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,638
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.

Corpus desk

Index EN-probate · probate · English

probate · rank #23,638 · 10 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,638
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH procure

Nearest frequency peer: procure (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “probate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “probate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

probate vs probe
71% similar
probate vs promote
71% similar
probate vs propane
71% similar

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

Key facts for probate
PropertyValue
Headwordprobate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,638
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “probate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).probatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “procure” (#23,639), “prenatal” (#23,636), “propel” (#23,640). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “probate” is #23,638. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around probate (IPA /ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,638 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for probate, with forms such as "porbate", "pprobate", and "prboate". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "probe", "promote", "propane", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English probate, from Latin probatus, past participle of probare (“to test, examine, judge of”); see probe, prove. The correct English form is probate, spelled P-R-O-B-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.
  2. 2
    A copy of a legally recognised and qualified will.
  3. 3
    Clipping of probate court.
  4. 4
    Proof.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The probate file reveals that Stephen Tetuan, attorney for the estate and author of McBride's will, wrote to Lemieux on Auust 29, 1984, encouraging him "to serve as trustee and to retain local counsel to represent your interests as trustee."
  2. Macrobius that did trete Of Scipions dreme what was the treu probate

Etymology

From Middle English probate, from Latin probatus, past participle of probare (“to test, examine, judge of”); see probe, prove.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porbate
  • pprobate
  • prboate
  • proabte
  • probaet
  • probatte
  • probbate
  • probtae
  • prrobate
  • rpobate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of probate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

porbate2pprobate1prboate2proabte2probaet2probatte1probbate1probtae2
Edit distance from "probate"

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 "probate"?
"probate" is spelled P-R-O-B-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/.
What does "probate" mean?
As a noun, "probate" means: The legal process of verifying the legality of a will.
What words are commonly confused with "probate"?
"probate" is commonly confused with "probe", "promote", "propane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "probate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "probate" is /ˈpɹəʊbeɪt/. 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 "probate"?
From Middle English probate, from Latin probatus, past participle of probare (“to test, examine, judge of”); see probe, prove. 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 "probate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

procure#23,639Punjabi#23,643overtly#23,624roadmap#23,658

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

painless10 variantsRoberta10 variantsshreds10 variantsmanhood10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list