seduce

/sɪˈdjuːs/

//sɪˈdjuːs// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"seduce" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“seduce” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,355. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,355
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.

Corpus desk

Index EN-seduce · seduce · English

seduce · rank #21,355 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,355
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH secluded

Nearest frequency peer: secluded (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “seduce”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “seduce” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

seduce vs segue
67% similar
seduce vs spruce
67% similar
seduce vs sauce
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for seduce
PropertyValue
Headwordseduce
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/sɪˈdjuːs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#21,355
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “seduce”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).seducelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “secluded” (#21,354), “semifinal” (#21,356), “sens” (#21,357). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “seduce” is #21,355. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around seduce (IPA /sɪˈdjuːs/), averb. Corpus frequency is #21,355 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for seduce, with forms such as "esduce", "sdeuce", and "sedcue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "segue", "spruce", "sauce", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin sēdūcō (“to lead apart or astray”), from sē- (“aside, away, astray”) + dūcō (“to lead”); see duct. Compare adduce, conduce, deduce, etc. and Middle English seduct. The correct English form is seduce, spelled S-E-D-U-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.
  2. 2
    To entice or induce (someone) to engage in a sexual relationship.
  3. 3
    To have sexual intercourse with.
  4. 4
    To win over or attract.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how seduce appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] they alledged, That becauſe I had ſome Rudiments of Reaſon, added to the natural pravity of thoſe Animals, it was to be feared, I might be able to ſeduce them into the woody and mountainous parts of the Country, and bring them in Troops by night to deſtroy the Houyhnhnms Cattle, as being naturally of the ravenous kind, and averſe from Labour.
  2. As a parish priest in England he had dabbled in the black arts, seduced a number of his congregation from their faith and finally celebrated the Black Mass.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sēdūcō (“to lead apart or astray”), from sē- (“aside, away, astray”) + dūcō (“to lead”); see duct. Compare adduce, conduce, deduce, etc. and Middle English seduct.

This word in other languages

seducir(Español)séduire(Français)verführen(Deutsch)seduzir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • esduce
  • sdeuce
  • sedcue
  • sedduce
  • seducce
  • seduec
  • seudce
  • sseduce

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of seduce - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

esduce2sdeuce2sedcue2sedduce1seducce1seduec2seudce2sseduce1
Edit distance from "seduce"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "seduce"?
"seduce" is spelled S-E-D-U-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪˈdjuːs/.
What does "seduce" mean?
As a verb, "seduce" means: To beguile or lure (someone) away from duty, accepted principles, or proper conduct; to lead astray.
What words are commonly confused with "seduce"?
"seduce" is commonly confused with "segue", "spruce", "sauce". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "seduce"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "seduce" is /sɪˈdjuːs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "seduce"?
Borrowed from Latin sēdūcō (“to lead apart or astray”), from sē- (“aside, away, astray”) + dūcō (“to lead”); see duct. Compare adduce, conduce, deduce, etc. and Middle English seduct. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "seduce", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

skewed#21,361Ripley#21,346rewind#21,343Reuben#21,341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

relive8 variantstaping8 variantsterrier8 variantsrabies8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list