Which to use
“cede” is a verb and “ceo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,526
- “cede” frequency rank
- #11,189
- “ceo” frequency rank
- 27715
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cede | ceo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ceder. | (Zeus faber) Pez comestible de aguas profundas con un cuerpo comprimido lateralmente de color oliva-amarillo que tiene una gran mancha oscura ribeteada de color amarillo en su costado y grandes espinas en la aleta dorsal. |
Where the eye mixes cede and ceo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cede with ceo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cede is [ˈseð̞e] while ceo is [ˈseo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27715, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cede is recorded at frequency rank #16,526, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈseð̞e]. ceo is at rank #11,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈseo].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 27715, this pair ranks #225,478 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cede vs ceo
Shared letters: ce. Private to "cede": d. Private to "ceo": o.
"cede" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "ceo" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cede ← ccede · cdee · cedde · ceed · ecde
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cede" and "ceo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "cede" or "ceo" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cede" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ceo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #225,478 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cede" and "ceo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cede vs cederá". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #225,478 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.