success

/səkˈsɛs/

//səkˈsɛs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“success” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #935. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#935
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The achievement of one's aim or goal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-success · success · English

success · rank #935 · 7 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #935
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sir

Nearest frequency peer: sir (-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 “success”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “success” 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).

success vs successor
78% similar
success vs succeed
71% similar

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

Key facts for success
PropertyValue
Headwordsuccess
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səkˈsɛs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#935
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “success”

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).successlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “sir” (#934), “towards” (#936), “sea” (#933). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “success” is #935. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around success (IPA /səkˈsɛs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #935 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for success, with forms such as "scucess", "ssuccess", and "succes". 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, "successor", "succeed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin successus, from succēdō (“succeed”), from sub- (“next to”) + cēdō (“go, move”). Partly displaced native Old English spēd, whence Modern English speed. The correct English form is success, spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The achievement of one's aim or goal.
  2. 2
    Financial profitability.
  3. 3
    One who, or that which, achieves assumed goals.
  4. 4
    The fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame.
  5. 5
    Something which happens as a consequence; the outcome or result.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His third attempt to pass the entrance exam was a success.
  2. a glowing success

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin successus, from succēdō (“succeed”), from sub- (“next to”) + cēdō (“go, move”). Partly displaced native Old English spēd, whence Modern English speed.

Synonyms

éclat

This word in other languages

éxito(Español)succès(Français)Erfolg(Deutsch)sucesso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • scucess
  • ssuccess
  • succes
  • succses
  • sucecss
  • sucess
  • usccess

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of success - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

scucess2ssuccess1succes1succses2sucecss2sucess1usccess2
Edit distance from "success"

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 "success"?
"success" is spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /səkˈsɛs/.
What does "success" mean?
As a noun, "success" means: The achievement of one's aim or goal.
What words are commonly confused with "success"?
"success" is commonly confused with "successor", "succeed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "success"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "success" is /səkˈsɛs/. 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 "success"?
Learned borrowing from Latin successus, from succēdō (“succeed”), from sub- (“next to”) + cēdō (“go, move”). Partly displaced native Old English spēd, whence Modern English speed. 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 "success", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

towards#936waiting#938created#944missing#950

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

rules7 variantsearth7 variantswhose7 variantssleep7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list