provvsproxyConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#31,938
“prov” frequency rank
#25,011
“proxy” frequency rank
56949
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature prov proxy
Definition Prueba. Acción de probar. Programa, servidor o dispositivo que realiza una acción en representación de otro.

Where the eye mixes prov and proxy

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

4 ch
prov
5 ch
proxy

Look-alike desk: prov vs proxy

A purely visual mix-up. prov ([ˈprɯːv]) and proxy ([ˈpɾoksi]) 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 56949, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

prov is recorded at frequency rank #31,938, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈprɯːv]. proxy is at rank #25,011, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpɾoksi].

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 56949, this pair ranks #72,459 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of prov vs proxy

Shared letters: opr. Private to "prov": v. Private to "proxy": xy.

"prov" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "proxy" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • provporv · pprov · prob · provv · prrov · prvo · rpov
  • proxyporxy · pproxy · proxxy · proxyy · proyx · prroxy · prxoy · rpoxy

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "prov" for "proxy" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈprɯːv] versus [ˈpɾoksi]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "prov" or "proxy"?
"proxy" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,011 in our Spanish list, against #31,938 for "prov". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "prov" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "proxy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #72,459 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "prov" and "proxy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "probo vs prov". 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 #72,459 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