prove

/pɹuːv/

//pɹuːv// verb

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

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

The verdict

“prove” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,771. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,771
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prove · prove · English

prove · rank #1,771 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,771
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH possibly

Nearest frequency peer: possibly (-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 “prove”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “prove” 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).

prove vs proxy
60% similar
prove vs prune
60% similar
prove vs Provo
60% similar

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

Key facts for prove
PropertyValue
Headwordprove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹuːv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,771
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “prove” 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). prove 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 7 spelling variants around prove (IPA /pɹuːv/), averb. Corpus frequency is #1,771 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for prove, with forms such as "porve", "pprove", and "proev". 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, "proxy", "prune", "Provo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English proven, from Old English prōfian (“to esteem, regard as, evince, try, prove”) and Old French prover (“to prove”), both from Latin probō (“test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove”, verb), from probus (“good, worthy, exc… The correct English form is prove, spelled P-R-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify.
  2. 2
    To turn out; to manifest.
  3. 3
    To turn out to be.
  4. 4
    To put to the test, to make trial of.
  5. 5
    To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify.
  6. 6
    To experience.
  7. 7
    To take a trial impression of; to take a proof of.
  8. 8
    Alternative form of proof (“allow (dough) to rise; test the activeness of (yeast); pressure-test (a firearm)”).
  9. 9
    To determine by experiment which effects a substance causes when ingested.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and vvith reaſon to perſvvade that in tymes paſt our fayth vvas alike, that then vve preached thinges correſpondent vnto the forme of faith already published of vs, ſo that none in this behalfe can repyne or gaynesay vs.
  2. Mr. H …, whom no distinctions of that sort seemed to disturb, scarce gave himself or me breathing time from the last encounter, but, as if he had task'd himself to prove that the appearances of his vigour were not signs hung out in vain, in a few minutes he was in a condition for renewing the onset

Etymology

From Middle English proven, from Old English prōfian (“to esteem, regard as, evince, try, prove”) and Old French prover (“to prove”), both from Latin probō (“test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove”, verb), from probus (“good, worthy, excellent”), from Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰuH-s (“being in front, prominent”), from *pro-, *per- (“toward”) + *bʰuH- (“to be”). Displaced native Middle English sothen (“to prove”), from Old English sōþian (“to prove”). Doublet of probe. More at for, be, soothe.

This word in other languages

probar(Español)prouver(Français)beweisen(Deutsch)provar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porve
  • pprove
  • proev
  • provve
  • prrove
  • prvoe
  • rpove

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prove - 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.

porve2pprove1proev2provve1prrove1prvoe2rpove2
Edit distance from "prove"

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 "prove"?
"prove" is spelled P-R-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹuːv/.
What does "prove" mean?
As a verb, "prove" means: To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for; to bear out; to testify.
What words are commonly confused with "prove"?
"prove" is commonly confused with "proxy", "prune", "Provo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prove" is /pɹuːv/. 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 "prove"?
From Middle English proven, from Old English prōfian (“to esteem, regard as, evince, try, prove”) and Old French prover (“to prove”), both from Latin probō (“test, try, examine, approve, show to be good or fit, prove”, verb), from probus (“good, w... 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 "prove", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lucky#1,766tough#1,777units#1,778labor#1,763

Similar misspelling depth

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

easier7 variantsfellow7 variantshorse7 variantsliked7 variants
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