succumb
/səˈkʌm/
"succumb" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“succumb” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,982 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #26,982
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To yield to an overpowering force or overwhelming desire.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | succumb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /səˈkʌm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #26,982 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “succumb” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for succumb is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səˈkʌm/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,982 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for succumb, with forms such as "scucumb", "ssuccumb", and "succmub". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- Proto-Italic *kumbō Latin *cumbō Latin succumbere Old French succomberbor. English succumb From Old French succomber, from Latin succumbō. The correct English form is succumb, spelled S-U-C-C-U-M-B.
Definition
- 1To yield to an overpowering force or overwhelming desire.
- 2To give up, or give in.
- 3To die.
- 4To overwhelm or bring down.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub- Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- Proto-Italic *kumbō Latin *cumbō Latin succumbere Old French succomberbor. English succumb From Old French succomber, from Latin succumbō.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: scucumb,ssuccumb,succmub,succubm,succumbb,succummb,sucucmb,sucumb,usccumb
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of succumb - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “succumb”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-C-C-U-M-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /səˈkʌm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.