provsproboConfusable pair

Quick tell: pro is a preposition, probo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pro” is a preposition and “probo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,421
“pro” frequency rank
#49,876
“probo” frequency rank
51297
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pro probo
Definition Úsase para indicar el beneficiario de una acción o iniciativa. Que tiene probidad; honrado y honesto.

Where the eye mixes pro and probo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

3 ch
pro
5 ch
probo

Look-alike desk: pro vs probo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pro is [ˈpɾo] while probo is [ˈpɾoβ̞o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “pro” sits inside “probo”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51297, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pro is recorded at frequency rank #1,421, classified as aprep, pronounced [ˈpɾo]. probo is at rank #49,876, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpɾoβ̞o].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 51297, this pair ranks #98,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pro vs probo

Shared letters: opr. Private to "pro": -. Private to "probo": b.

"pro" · 3 letters · shape CCV  ·  "probo" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • proboporbo · pprobo · prboo · probbo · proob · provo · prrobo · rpobo

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "pro" and "probo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pro" is a preposition and "probo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "pro" vs "probo" - which ranks higher?
"pro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,421 in our Spanish list, against #49,876 for "probo". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pro" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "probo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #98,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pro" and "probo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Pombo vs probo". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #98,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list