contend vs prove

contend

verb
  • To believe (something is reasonable) and argue (for it); to advocate. 

  • To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. 

  • To be in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue. 

  • To struggle or exert oneself to obtain or retain possession of, or to defend. 

  • contend with: To try to cope with a difficulty or problem. 

prove

verb
  • To demonstrate that something is true or viable; to give proof for. 

  • To put to the test, to make trial of. 

  • To ascertain or establish the genuineness or validity of; to verify. 

  • To determine by experiment which effects a substance causes when ingested. 

  • simple past tense of proove 

  • To turn out; to manifest. 

  • To turn out to be. 

noun
  • The process of dough proofing. 

How often have the words contend and prove occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )