cedevscodecWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: cede is a verb, codec is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“cede” is a verb and “codec” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,425
“cede” frequency rank
#43,084
“codec” frequency rank
77509
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cede codec
Definition To give up; yield to another. A device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream or signal.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cede and codec apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
cede
5 ch
codec

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cede is averb and codecanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77509, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cede is recorded at frequency rank #34,425, classified as averb, pronounced /siːd/. codec is at rank #43,084, tagged as anoun.

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 77509, this pair ranks #27,077 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cede vs codec

Shared letters: cde. Private to "cede": -. Private to "codec": o.

"cede" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "codec" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cedeccede · cdee · ceed · ecde
  • codecccodec · cdoec · codce · coddec · codecc · coedc · ocdec

Frequency comparison

cede#34,425
codec#43,084

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cede" and "codec" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "cede" is a verb and "codec" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "cede" or "codec"?
"cede" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,425 in our English list, against #43,084 for "codec". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cede vs codec

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “cede”; for a noun, it's “codec”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cede” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list