Which to use
“sucede” and “sucedía” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,963
- “sucede” frequency rank
- #15,728
- “sucedía” frequency rank
- 17691
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sucede | sucedía |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo 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 sucede and sucedía apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. sucede ([suˈseð̞e]) 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 17691, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sucede is recorded at frequency rank #1,963, classified as averb, pronounced [suˈseð̞e]. 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 17691, this pair ranks #271,101 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sucede vs sucedía
Shared letters: cdesu. Private to "sucede": -. Private to "sucedía": aí.
"sucede" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "sucedía" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sucede ← scuede · ssucede · succede · sucdee · sucedde · suceed · suecde · susede
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sucede" and "sucedía" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sucede" or "sucedía"?
Remembering sucede 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 “sucede” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable