Which to use
“intercede” and “intercept” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,427
- “intercede” frequency rank
- #13,542
- “intercept” frequency rank
- 62969
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intercede | intercept |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To plead on someone else's behalf. | To stop, deflect or divert (something in progress or motion). |
Where the eye mixes intercede and intercept
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: intercede vs intercept
A purely visual mix-up. intercede (/ɪntə(ɹ)ˈsiːd/) and intercept (/ɪntəˈsɛpt/) 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 62969, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intercede is recorded at frequency rank #49,427, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈsiːd/. intercept is at rank #13,542, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪntəˈsɛpt/.
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 62969, this pair ranks #85,569 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of intercede vs intercept
Shared letters: ceinrt. Private to "intercede": d. Private to "intercept": p.
"intercede" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCV · "intercept" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "intercede" for "intercept" ever safe?
Frequency check: "intercede" vs "intercept" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "intercede" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "intercept" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,569 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "intercede" and "intercept" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "intercede vs interred". 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 #85,569 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.