probe
/pɹoʊb/noun, verb
probe is spelled P-R-O-B-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, probe means “Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of probe is probes.
How many letters and syllables are in probe?
| Letters | 5: P-R-O-B-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 9.8 times per million words; the 7,224th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is probe?
Probe appears 9.8 times per million words in written English, the 7,224th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce probe?
- UK /pɹəʊb/
- US /pɹoʊb/
Probe has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-probe.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with probe?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as probe from its last stressed vowel (/oʊb/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of probe
- probes plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- probing participle, present
- probed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does probe mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
- 2
An anal probe, a fictional instrument commonly used by aliens on abducted humans.
- 3
Something which penetrates something else, as though to explore; something which obtains information.
- 4
An act of probing; a prod, a poke.
- 5
An investigation or inquiry.
They launched a probe into the cause of the accident.
- 6
A tube attached to an aircraft which can be fitted into the drogue from a tanker aircraft to allow for aerial refuelling.
- 7
A small device, especially an electrode, used to explore, investigate or measure something by penetrating or being placed in it.
Insert the probe into the soil and read the temperature.
- 8
A small, usually uncrewed, spacecraft used to acquire information or measurements about its surroundings.
verb
- 1
To explore, investigate, question, test, or prove.
If you probe further, you may discover different reasons.
- 2
To insert a probe into.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Probe in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sonde, explorateur , perche |
| Portuguese | sonda , investigação , sondar, investigar |
| Spanish | tienta, sonda , sondeo , sondar, sondear , sonda espacial |
| German | Untersuchung , untersuchen , Sonde |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does probe come from?
For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove. For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).