Which to use
“seep” and “sped” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,680
- “seep” frequency rank
- #20,782
- “sped” frequency rank
- 58462
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seep | sped |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To ooze or pass slowly through pores or other small openings, and in overly small quantities; said of liquids, etc. | simple past and past participle of speed |
Where the eye mixes seep and sped
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. seep (CVVC) and sped (CCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: seep vs sped
A purely visual mix-up. seep (/siːp/) and sped (/spɛd/) 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 58462, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seep is recorded at frequency rank #37,680, classified as averb, pronounced /siːp/. sped is at rank #20,782, tagged as averb, pronounced /spɛd/.
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 58462, this pair ranks #112,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of seep vs sped
Shared letters: eps. Private to "seep": -. Private to "sped": d.
"seep" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "sped" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "seep" and "sped" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "seep" or "sped"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "seep" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sped" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #112,401 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seep" and "sped" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "SDP vs seep". 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 #112,401 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.