succeed

/səkˈsiːd/

//səkˈsiːd// verb

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

"succeed" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“succeed” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,414. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,414
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To follow something in sequence or time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-succeed · succeed · English

succeed · rank #4,414 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,414
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH strategies

Nearest frequency peer: strategies (-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 “succeed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “succeed” 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).

succeed vs success
71% similar
succeed vs succeeded
78% similar

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

Key facts for succeed
PropertyValue
Headwordsucceed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səkˈsiːd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,414
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “succeed”

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).succeedlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “strategies” (#4,413), “tables” (#4,415), “stopping” (#4,412). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “succeed” is #4,414. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around succeed (IPA /səkˈsiːd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,414 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for succeed, with forms such as "scuceed", "ssucceed", and "succed". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "success", "succeeded", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French succeder, from Latin succedere (“to go under, go from under, come under, approach, follow, take the place of, receive by succession, prosper, be successful”). The correct English form is succeed, spelled S-U-C-C-E-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To follow something in sequence or time.
  2. 2
    To replace or supplant someone in order vis-à-vis an office, position, or title.
  3. 3
    To come after or follow; to be subsequent or consequent; (often with to).
  4. 4
    To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; (often with to).
  5. 5
    To come in the place of another person, thing, or event; to come next in the usual, natural, or prescribed course of things; to follow; hence, to come next in the possession of anything; (often with to).
  6. 6
    To prevail in obtaining an intended objective or accomplishment; to prosper as a result or conclusion of a particular effort.
  7. 7
    To prosper or attain success and beneficial results in general.
  8. 8
    To turn out, fare, do (well or ill).
  9. 9
    To support; to prosper; to promote or give success to.
  10. 10
    To descend, as an estate or an heirloom, in the same family; to devolve; (often with to).
  11. 11
    To fall heir to; to inherit.
  12. 12
    To go down or near (with to).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Autumn succeeds summer.
  2. Destructive effects […] succeeded the curse.

Etymology

From Old French succeder, from Latin succedere (“to go under, go from under, come under, approach, follow, take the place of, receive by succession, prosper, be successful”).

Synonyms

come afterdo wellflourishprosperensuefollowfollow onsucceed

Antonyms

precedeprecedefailfall on one's facefail

This word in other languages

suceder(Español)succéder(Français)nachfolgen(Deutsch)seguir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • scuceed
  • ssucceed
  • succed
  • succede
  • succeedd
  • suceced
  • suceed
  • uscceed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of succeed - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

scuceed2ssucceed1succed1succede2succeedd1suceced2suceed1uscceed2
Edit distance from "succeed"

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 "succeed"?
"succeed" is spelled S-U-C-C-E-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /səkˈsiːd/.
What does "succeed" mean?
As a verb, "succeed" means: To follow something in sequence or time.
What words are commonly confused with "succeed"?
"succeed" is commonly confused with "success", "succeeded". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "succeed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "succeed" is /səkˈsiːd/. 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 "succeed"?
From Old French succeder, from Latin succedere (“to go under, go from under, come under, approach, follow, take the place of, receive by succession, prosper, be successful”). 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 "succeed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

worship#4,423recover#4,401crucial#4,438feeding#4,448

Similar misspelling depth

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

fifty8 variantsGreece8 variantsmature8 variantsPhilip8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list