provoke

/pɹəˈvəʊk/

//pɹəˈvəʊk// verb

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

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

The verdict

“provoke” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,035. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,035
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.

Corpus desk

Index EN-provoke · provoke · English

provoke · rank #15,035 · 10 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,035
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH profitability

Nearest frequency peer: profitability (-2 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 “provoke”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “provoke” 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).

provoke vs provost
71% similar
provoke vs provoked
88% similar
provoke vs prove
71% similar

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

Key facts for provoke
PropertyValue
Headwordprovoke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹəˈvəʊk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,035
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “provoke” sits in English frequency

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).provoke 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 10 spelling variants around provoke (IPA /pɹəˈvəʊk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,035 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for provoke, with forms such as "porvoke", "pprovoke", and "proovke". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "provost", "provoked", "prove", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin prōvocāre. Doublet of provocate. The correct English form is provoke, spelled P-R-O-V-O-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
  2. 2
    To bring about a reaction.
  3. 3
    To appeal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Don't provoke the dog; it may try to bite you.
  2. In the meane time it chaunced, that Marcus Papyrius ſtroke one of the Galles on the heade with his ſtaffe, because he preſumed to ſtroke his bearde: with whiche iniurie the Gaulle beeing prouoked, ſlue Papyrius (as he ſate) with hys ſworde, and therewith the ſlaughter being begun with one, all the reſidue of thoſe auncient fatherly men as they ſat in they…

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin prōvocāre. Doublet of provocate.

This word in other languages

provocar(Español)provoquer(Français)provozieren(Deutsch)provocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • porvoke
  • pprovoke
  • proovke
  • provkoe
  • provoek
  • provokke
  • provvoke
  • prrovoke
  • prvooke
  • rpovoke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

porvoke2pprovoke1proovke2provkoe2provoek2provokke1provvoke1prrovoke1
Edit distance from "provoke"

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "provoke"?
"provoke" is spelled P-R-O-V-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəˈvəʊk/.
What does "provoke" mean?
As a verb, "provoke" means: To cause someone to become annoyed or angry.
What words are commonly confused with "provoke"?
"provoke" is commonly confused with "provost", "provoked", "prove". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "provoke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "provoke" is /pɹəˈvəʊk/. 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 "provoke"?
Borrowed from Middle French provoquer, from Old French, from Latin prōvocāre. Doublet of provocate. 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 "provoke", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pivotal#15,028roaming#15,045payable#15,020Sabbath#15,050

Similar misspelling depth

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

surname10 variantsJurassic10 variantscatchy10 variantsfooting10 variants

What to do next

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

  • "provoke" maps to 7 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "provost". View pair
  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #15,035 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