succubus

/ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/

//ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs// noun

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

"succubus" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“succubus” is uncommon English (frequency #51,426 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,426
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhausti...

Corpus desk

Index EN-succubus · succubus · English

succubus · rank #51,426 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,426
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH subroutine

Nearest frequency peer: subroutine (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “succubus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for succubus
PropertyValue
Headwordsuccubus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,426
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “succubus” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “subroutine” (#51,425), “supervillain” (#51,427), “streptococcus” (#51,424). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “succubus” is #51,426. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

succubus is uncommon English at frequency #51,426 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

succubus has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Alteration in Middle English (based on incubus m) of Late Latin succuba (“strumpet, especially a mythological fiend in female form who has intercourse with men in their sleep”), from Latin succubo (“to lie under”), from sub- (“under”) + cubare (“to lie down”). The correct English form is succubus, spelled S-U-C-C-U-B-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhaustion or death.
  2. 2
    A strumpet, whore or prostitute.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 1977 Italo Calvino, The Castle of Crossed Destinies, Part 2, Chapter 5, 1969. Translated from Italian by William Weaver. When the Sabbath is caught by the first ray of the rising sun, all the witches and the vampires, incubi and succubi, take flight, some transforming themselves into noctules, some into other bats, some into still other species of Chiropt…

Etymology

Alteration in Middle English (based on incubus m) of Late Latin succuba (“strumpet, especially a mythological fiend in female form who has intercourse with men in their sleep”), from Latin succubo (“to lie under”), from sub- (“under”) + cubare (“to lie down”).

This word in other languages

súcubo(Español)succube(Français)Sukkubus(Deutsch)

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 "succubus"?
"succubus" is spelled S-U-C-C-U-B-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/.
What does "succubus" mean?
As a noun, "succubus" means: A female demon which comes to men, especially monks, in their dreams to seduce them and have sexual intercourse, drawing energy from the men to sustain themselves, often until the point of exhausti...
How do you pronounce "succubus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "succubus" is /ˈsʌk.jʊ.bəs/. 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 "succubus"?
Alteration in Middle English (based on incubus m) of Late Latin succuba (“strumpet, especially a mythological fiend in female form who has intercourse with men in their sleep”), from Latin succubo (“to lie under”), from sub- (“under”) + cubare (“t... 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 "succubus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

teriyaki#51,441theistic#51,443Theobald#51,444Sorenson#51,404

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list