succession

/səkˈsɛʃ.ən/

//səkˈsɛʃ.ən// noun

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

"succession" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“succession” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,504
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act, process, or instance of succeeding:

Corpus desk

Index EN-succession · succession · English

succession · rank #7,504 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,504
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH steak

Nearest frequency peer: steak (-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 “succession”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “succession” 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).

succession vs successor
80% similar
succession vs successive
80% similar
succession vs secession
80% similar

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

Key facts for succession
PropertyValue
Headwordsuccession
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/səkˈsɛʃ.ən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,504
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “succession”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).successionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “steak” (#7,503), “superintendent” (#7,505), “slap” (#7,502). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “succession” is #7,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around succession (IPA /səkˈsɛʃ.ən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,504 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for succession, with forms such as "scucession", "ssuccession", and "succesion". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "successor", "successive", "secession", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old French succession, from Latin successiō (noun). The correct English form is succession, spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  2. 2
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  3. 3
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  4. 4
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  5. 5
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  6. 6
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  7. 7
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  8. 8
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
  9. 9
    An act, process, or instance of succeeding:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In 1958, it was reported that for "the fourth year in succession, staff of four South London stations have combined to decorate the booking hall at Peckham Rye station". They installed a nativity scene, models of Father Christmas, and a sleigh driven by huskies, and Christmas trees were placed around the station.
  2. Villa spent most of the second period probing from wide areas and had a succession of corners but despite their profligacy they will be glad to overturn the 6-0 hammering they suffered at St James' Park in August following former boss Martin O'Neill's departure

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old French succession, from Latin successiō (noun).

Synonyms

posterioritysequence

This word in other languages

sucesión(Español)succession(Français)Abfolge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • scucession
  • ssuccession
  • succesion
  • succesison
  • successino
  • successionn
  • successoin
  • succestion
  • succsesion
  • sucecssion
  • sucession
  • usccession

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

scucession2ssuccession1succesion1succesison2successino2successionn1successoin2succestion1
Edit distance from "succession"

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 "succession"?
"succession" is spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səkˈsɛʃ.ən/.
What does "succession" mean?
As a noun, "succession" means: An act, process, or instance of succeeding:
What words are commonly confused with "succession"?
"succession" is commonly confused with "successor", "successive", "secession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "succession"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "succession" is /səkˈsɛʃ.ən/. 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 "succession"?
Inherited from Middle English [Term?], from Old French succession, from Latin successiō (noun). 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 "succession", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thereafter#7,511affiliated#7,521Bangladesh#7,526Cincinnati#7,537

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

shouting12 variantstactical12 variantssearched12 variantsscattered12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list