sucedavssucedíaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“suceda” and “sucedía” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,790
“suceda” frequency rank
#15,728
“sucedía” frequency rank
23518
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature suceda sucedía
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de suceder. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de suceder.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set suceda and sucedía apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
suceda
7 ch
sucedía

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. suceda ([suˈseð̞a]) and sucedía ([suseˈð̞ia]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23518, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

suceda is recorded at frequency rank #7,790, classified as averb, pronounced [suˈseð̞a]. sucedía is at rank #15,728, tagged as averb, pronounced [suseˈð̞ia].

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 23518, this pair ranks #245,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of suceda vs sucedía

Shared letters: acdesu. Private to "suceda": -. Private to "sucedía": í.

"suceda" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "sucedía" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sucedascueda · ssuceda · succeda · sucdea · sucead · sucedda · suecda · suseda

Frequency comparison

suceda#7,790
sucedía#15,728

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "suceda" and "sucedía" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([suˈseð̞a] versus [suseˈð̞ia]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "suceda" or "sucedía"?
"suceda" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,790 in our Spanish list, against #15,728 for "sucedía". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering suceda vs sucedía

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “suceda” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list