Which to use
“proof” is a noun and “proud” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,613
- “proof” frequency rank
- #45,806
- “proud” frequency rank
- 89419
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | proof | proud |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Preuve (définitive). | Fier. |
Where the eye mixes proof and proud
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between proof and proud
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: proof is \ˈpɹuːf\ while proud is \pɹaʊd\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
proof is recorded at frequency rank #43,613, classified as anoun, pronounced \ˈpɹuːf\. proud is at rank #45,806, tagged as anadj, pronounced \pɹaʊd\.
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 89419, this pair ranks #5,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of proof vs proud
Shared letters: opr. Private to "proof": f. Private to "proud": du.
"proof" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "proud" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "proof" and "proud" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "proof" or "proud"?
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 "proof" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "proud" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,815 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "proof" and "proud" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "proud vs prude". 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 #5,815 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.