Which to use
“succeed” is a verb and “success” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,414
- “succeed” frequency rank
- #935
- “success” frequency rank
- 5349
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | succeed | success |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To follow something in sequence or time. | The achievement of one's aim or goal. |
Where the eye mixes succeed and success
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. succeed (CVCCVVC) and success (CVCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses succeed with success
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: succeed is /səkˈsiːd/ while success is /səkˈsɛs/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5349, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
succeed is recorded at frequency rank #4,414, classified as averb, pronounced /səkˈsiːd/. success is at rank #935, tagged as anoun, pronounced /səkˈsɛs/.
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 5349, this pair ranks #515,669 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of succeed vs success
Shared letters: cesu. Private to "succeed": d. Private to "success": -.
"succeed" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "success" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "succeed" and "success" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "succeed" or "success" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "succeed" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "success" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #515,669 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "succeed" and "success" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "succeed vs succeeded". 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 #515,669 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.