probévsproveaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“probé” and “provea” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,429
“probé” frequency rank
#38,324
“provea” frequency rank
54753
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature probé provea
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de probar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de proveer o de proveerse.

Where the eye mixes probé and provea

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

5 ch
probé
6 ch
provea

Look-alike desk: probé vs provea

A purely visual mix-up. probé ([pɾoˈβ̞e]) and provea ([pɾoˈβ̞ea]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54753, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

probé is recorded at frequency rank #16,429, classified as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈβ̞e]. provea is at rank #38,324, tagged as averb, pronounced [pɾoˈβ̞ea].

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 54753, this pair ranks #81,922 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of probé vs provea

Shared letters: opr. Private to "probé": . Private to "provea": aev.

"probé" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "provea" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • proveaporvea · pprovea · probea · proeva · provae · provvea · prrovea · prvoea

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "probé" and "provea" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾoˈβ̞e] versus [pɾoˈβ̞ea]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "probé" vs "provea" - which ranks higher?
"probé" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,429 in our Spanish list, against #38,324 for "provea". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "probé" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "provea" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #81,922 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "probé" and "provea" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "presea vs provea". 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 #81,922 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