Which to use
“ppm” and “pro” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,483
- “ppm” frequency rank
- #1,039
- “pro” frequency rank
- 39522
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ppm | pro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Partie par million. | Professionnel, professionnelle. |
Where the eye mixes ppm and pro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ppm and pro
A purely visual mix-up. ppm (\pe.pe.ɛm\) and pro (\pʁo\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39522, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ppm is recorded at frequency rank #38,483, classified as anoun, pronounced \pe.pe.ɛm\. pro is at rank #1,039, tagged as anoun, pronounced \pʁo\.
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 39522, this pair ranks #247,331 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ppm vs pro
Shared letters: p. Private to "ppm": m. Private to "pro": or.
"ppm" · 3 letters · shape CCC · "pro" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ppm" for "pro" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ppm" vs "pro" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ppm" and "pro" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ppm" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #247,331 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ppm" and "pro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pio vs ppm". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #247,331 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.