probe

/pɹəʊb/

//pɹəʊb// noun

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

"probe" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“probe” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,266. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,266
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-probe · probe · English

probe · rank #7,266 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,266
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH praying

Nearest frequency peer: praying (-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 “probe”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “probe” 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 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

probe vs pros
60% similar
probe vs prom
60% similar
probe vs prop
60% similar

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

Key facts for probe
PropertyValue
Headwordprobe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəʊb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,266
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “probe” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).probelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “praying” (#7,265), “prohibited” (#7,267), “practicing” (#7,264). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around probe (IPA /pɹəʊb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,266 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for probe, with forms such as "porbe", "pprobe", and "prboe". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pros", "prom", "prop", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is probe, spelled P-R-O-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
  2. 2
    Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
  3. 3
    Something which penetrates something else, as though to explore; something which obtains information.
  4. 4
    An act of probing; a prod, a poke.
  5. 5
    An investigation or inquiry.
  6. 6
    A tube attached to an aircraft which can be fitted into the drogue from a tanker aircraft to allow for aerial refuelling.
  7. 7
    A small device, especially an electrode, used to explore, investigate or measure something by penetrating or being placed in it.
  8. 8
    A small, usually uncrewed, spacecraft used to acquire information or measurements about its surroundings.
  9. 9
    A move with multiple possible answers, seeking to make the opponent choose and commit to a strategy.
  10. 10
    Any group of atoms or molecules radioactively labeled in order to study a given molecule or other structure

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You know, XR178.9, we haven't done any anal probes in a while.
  2. You listen here! We don't do anal probes like other aliens, but I'm about to make an exception!

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

yosu-miru

This word in other languages

tienta(Español)sonde(Français)Untersuchung(Deutsch)sonda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porbe
  • pprobe
  • prboe
  • probbe
  • proeb
  • prrobe
  • rpobe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porbe2pprobe1prboe2probbe1proeb2prrobe1rpobe2
Edit distance from "probe"

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 "probe"?
"probe" is spelled P-R-O-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊb/.
What does "probe" mean?
As a noun, "probe" means: Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "probe"?
"probe" is commonly confused with "pros", "prom", "prop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "probe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "probe" is /pɹəʊb/. 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 "probe"?
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... 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 "probe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

remix#7,276mates#7,248Linux#7,246sneak#7,287

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

offset7 variantsroller7 variantssteep7 variantsweigh7 variants

What to do next

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

  • "probe" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "pros". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,266 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "P" letter cohort. P–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

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