intercede
/ɪntə(ɹ)ˈsiːd/verb
intercede is spelled I-N-T-E-R-C-E-D-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, intercede means “To plead on someone else's behalf” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in intercede?
| Letters | 9: I-N-T-E-R-C-E-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,368th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is intercede?
Intercede appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,368th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce intercede?
- /ɪntə(ɹ)ˈsiːd/
Intercede has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-intercede.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of intercede
- intercedes present, singular, he/she/it
- interceding participle, present
- interceded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does intercede mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To plead on someone else's behalf.
Our Lady intercedes
- 2
To act as a mediator in a dispute; to arbitrate or mediate.
- 3
To pass between; to intervene.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Intercede in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to plea on someone else's behalf:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | bitten, verwenden, eingreifen, intervenieren |
| Spanish | interceder |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does intercede come from?
First attested in c. 1570. From Middle French intercéder, from Latin intercēdō, from inter- (“between”) + cēdō (“I go”) (English cede), literally “to (act as) go-between”.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).