Skip to Content

Procede Vs Proceed: What’s The Correct Word To Use?

Procede Vs Proceed: What’s The Correct Word To Use?

Spelling tests are a standard part of the academic journey. Interestingly, no matter how many spelling tests you go through, you will sometimes make mistakes because of the complexity of the English language. Let’s reveal more about procede vs proceed to know the right term to use.

Proceed means “to go forward or onward, especially after an interruption.” It also means “to begin carrying on with an action or process.” More so, “to move on in an orderly way after an interruption.” In contrast, the word precede is a misspelling of proceed. Therefore, it is not a correct word.

Words like procede and proceed, are easy to come by. However, they can mislead you because they cause a lot of confusion. Read this article in its entirety to understand the differences between these words.

desk men writing

Definitions Of Procede And Proceed

There is more to the English language than learning to spell different words. Combining correct spelling with understanding the definitions of words is the recipe for understanding and mastering new words. Therefore, if you encounter words like procede and proceed, the first thing you should do is learn their meanings.

Doing so will help you differentiate these words and discover incorrect ones. You feel confident in your writing when you know you aren’t making mistakes. So, here are the correct definitions of procede and proceed:

Definition Of Procede

Procede is an incorrectly spelled word. That means there is no meaning to this word. Unfortunately, people still use it. For instance, “The meeting will procede after a few minutes.” This sentence is naturally incorrect!

Note: Do not mistake this word with precede, a verb meaning “going before something in time or order.” This is an entirely different word unrelated to “proceed” and not the same as “procede.” That proves how English words can be complicated, especially regarding words that sound identical or have very minute spelling differences.

Definitions Of Proceed

Proceed means “to continue with a process or something as originally planned.” For example, in a sentence, “The seminar will continue in the next two days despite the low attendance.”

Another source defines proceed as “to move, pass, go onward, advance, or carry on.” For example, “We will proceed with the journey after meeting with the team.”

Another definition of proceed is “to pass from one point, subject, stage, or topic to another.” An example sentence is, “Timothy will proceed with the story when done talking to her son on the phone.”

Proceed also means “to go on with something or a process in an orderly or pre-organized manner.” Also, “to begin or carry on with a series of processes, acts, or measures.” That simply means to act methodically. For example, “The meeting will proceed as scheduled even if the secretary does not arrive on time.”

Another definition of proceed is “to come from or have the source or origin.” An example sentence is, “The light will proceed from the lamp once you turn it on.”

In law, the word “proceed” means “to institute or pursue legal action.” An example is “The court will proceed against the defaulting debtor.”

As a noun, the word “proceed” means “something that results or accrues.” An example sentence is, “All the proceeds from the charity event will go to the Little Girl’s Society.”

Still, as a noun, the word “proceed” means “the total amount or profit from a sale or another transaction.” For example, in a sentence, “The proceeds from the sale were not what we expected.”

How To Properly Use Procede And Proceed In A Sentence

From the above sections, the definitions of procede and proceed are clear. We can now get into how you can use these words in different sentences. Here are some tips to help you use these words in sentences correctly:

How To Use The Word Procede

Procede is an incorrect word. Therefore, you should not use it in any context or any sentence. You will realize that this word is not accepted or mentioned in any academic dictionary.

How To Use The Word Proceed

You should apply this word in sentences as a noun or a verb. So, use this word as a verb in a sentence in the following contexts:

  • Referring to the act of mobbing further along on a course. For example, “The meeting will proceed after the emergency is resolved.”
  • To begin a course of action or continue with it. For example, “Let us proceed with the event as planned.”
  • To develop or progress. For example, “The team will proceed with the party in the morning.”
  • To go on a journey. For example, “The voyagers will proceed with their journey from tomorrow evening.”
  • To pass or move. For example, “Jimmy will proceed with the address after the party.”
  • To succeed or manage. For example, “The party will not proceed if the company does not pay its organizers.”

Use this word as a noun in sentences in the following contexts:

  • Something that accrues. For example, “The proceeds from the investment will double with time.”
  • The profit derived from a transaction or a sale. For example, “The proceeds from the garage sale were enough to pay for the rent.”

Procede Vs Proceed: Three Things To Know Before Using These Words

One of the first things you should know about these words before using them is that “proceed” is the correct spelling, and “procede” is incorrect.

Something else you should know about these words is their history. The word proceed comes from the late 14th-century word “proceden” meaning “to go on, move in a certain direction, or go about a business.” It also has roots in the Old French word “proceder,” a direct translation from the Latin “procedure,” meaning “to forward, advance, or make progress.”

It is also worth citing that the roots for the word proceed are “pro,” meaning “forward,” and “cedere,” meaning “to go.” The history and etymology of the word “proceed” explains its misspelling since “pro” + “cedere” makes more sense as “procede” than as “proceed.”

The third thing you should know about these words is their pronunciation. The correct pronunciation for “proceed” is “/pruh-seed/.” On the other hand, the proper pronunciation for “procede” is “/pruh-see-d/.”

reading woman

List Of Examples Of Procede And Proceed Use In Sentences

Here are sentence examples of the word procede and proceed. Before you go through the ten examples, note that the sentences with procede are incorrect because it is a wrong word.

Example sentences of the word procede

  1. We cannot procede with the performance without the band.
  2. How will the team procede with the game without their goalkeeper?
  3. Hannah will procede with the test after messing up her first one.
  4. The assembly will procede as scheduled, even with the rainfall.
  5. The company will procede with the renovations after the launch.

Example sentences of the word proceed

  1. The meeting will proceed after the breakfast break.
  2. The dance break will proceed after the experts assemble.
  3. The school will proceed with the semester even after the tragedy.
  4. George will proceed with his tour despite the cancellations.
  5. Please inform all students to proceed to their respective classrooms after the assembly.

More Great Word Usage Posts

Conclusion

This post concludes that the correct spelling for the word that means “moving forward or going on with a course of action” is proceed and not procede. So, now that you know this, you should not use incorrect spelling in any context or sentence.

Like proceed and procede, several other English words sound and look the same. So, if you have encountered such words, research more about them before using them in sentences to avoid making mistakes.