succour

/ˈsʌkə/

//ˈsʌkə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“succour” is uncommon English (frequency #67,086 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,086
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Aid, assistance, or relief given to one in distress; ministration.

Corpus desk

Index EN-succour · succour · English

succour · rank #67,086 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,086
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sulcus

Nearest frequency peer: sulcus (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “succour”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “succour” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for succour
PropertyValue
Headwordsuccour
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌkə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#67,086
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “succour” in English

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).succourfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “sulcus” (#67,088), “subdural” (#67,083), “subcompact” (#67,082). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “succour” is #67,086. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

succour is uncommon English at frequency #67,086 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsʌkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for succour in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English socour, interpreted as the singular form of socours (“help; encouragement; remedy; protection; helper, protector”), which is from Anglo-Norman socurs, sucurs and Old French secors, secours (modern French secours), fro… The correct English form is succour, spelled S-U-C-C-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aid, assistance, or relief given to one in distress; ministration.
  2. 2
    Aid or assistance in the form of military equipment and soldiers, especially reinforcements sent to support military action.
  3. 3
    Protection, refuge, shelter; (countable) a place providing such protection, refuge or shelter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Now ſtands the Brere like a Lord alone, / Puffed up with pryde and vaine pleaſaunce: / But all this glee had no continuaunce. / For eftſoones Winter gan to approche, / The bluſtring Boreas did encroche, / And beate upon the ſolitarie Brere: / For nowe no ſuccour was ſeene him neere.
  2. His hand, that oft the enemy did lame, / He reach't to thoſe whoſe ſuccors were diſmayde; [...]

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English socour, interpreted as the singular form of socours (“help; encouragement; remedy; protection; helper, protector”), which is from Anglo-Norman socurs, sucurs and Old French secors, secours (modern French secours), from Medieval Latin succursus (participle), from Latin succurrēre (“to run to the help of”), from Latin sub- (“from below”) + Latin currere (“run”). The verb is derived from Middle English socouren (“to help”), from Anglo-Norman socure (compare modern French secourir), also from Latin succurrēre.

This word in other languages

socorro(Español)secours(Français)Beistand(Deutsch)ajuda(Português)

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 "succour"?
"succour" is spelled S-U-C-C-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌkə/.
What does "succour" mean?
As a noun, "succour" means: Aid, assistance, or relief given to one in distress; ministration.
How do you pronounce "succour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "succour" is /ˈsʌkə/. 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 "succour"?
The noun is derived from Middle English socour, interpreted as the singular form of socours (“help; encouragement; remedy; protection; helper, protector”), which is from Anglo-Norman socurs, sucurs and Old French secors, secours (modern French sec... 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 "succour", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Steiger#67,072Starmer#67,070topiary#67,109Trevino#67,115

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list