successive

/səkˈsɛsɪv/

//səkˈsɛsɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“successive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,990. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,990
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Coming one after the other in a series.

Corpus desk

Index EN-successive · successive · English

successive · rank #8,990 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,990
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stretching

Nearest frequency peer: stretching (-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 “successive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “successive” 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).

successive vs successively
83% similar
successive vs succession
80% similar

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

Key facts for successive
PropertyValue
Headwordsuccessive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səkˈsɛsɪv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#8,990
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “successive”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).successivelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “stretching” (#8,989), “superhero” (#8,991), “splash” (#8,988). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “successive” is #8,990. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around successive (IPA /səkˈsɛsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,990 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for successive, with forms such as "scucessive", "ssuccessive", and "succesisve". 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, "successively", "succession", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin succedere (“to succeed in”). The correct English form is successive, spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Coming one after the other in a series.
  2. 2
    Of, or relating to a succession; hereditary.
  3. 3
    Of or relating to the grammatical aspect which presupposes the completion of a secondary action as a premise for the primary action of the statement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They had won the title for five successive years.
  2. A compound of eggs boiled with myrrh, pepper, and cinnamon, taken on several successive days, is recommended by Arabs for strengthening amorous vigor.

Etymology

From Latin succedere (“to succeed in”).

Synonyms

in a series

This word in other languages

sucesivo(Español)successif(Français)aufeinanderfolgende(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • scucessive
  • ssuccessive
  • succesisve
  • succesive
  • successiev
  • successivve
  • successvie
  • succsesive
  • sucecssive
  • sucessive
  • usccessive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of successive - 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.

scucessive2ssuccessive1succesisve2succesive1successiev2successivve1successvie2succsesive2
Edit distance from "successive"

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 "successive"?
"successive" is spelled S-U-C-C-E-S-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səkˈsɛsɪv/.
What does "successive" mean?
As an adjective, "successive" means: Coming one after the other in a series.
What words are commonly confused with "successive"?
"successive" is commonly confused with "successively", "succession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "successive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "successive" is /səkˈsɛsɪv/. 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 "successive"?
From Latin succedere (“to succeed in”). 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 "successive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stretching#8,989undertaken#9,001Vietnamese#9,004volleyball#9,005

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

threads11 variantsSherman11 variantssettling11 variantsBangkok11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list