Precede vs Proceed

precede

to come before

proceed

to go forward/continue

How to tell them apart

PREcede = PREvious, comes bEfore. PROceed = go PROgressing forward, PROceed to the next step.

Test yourself

Fill in the blank: “Only one of these words means to come before. That word is ______.”

Choose: precede or proceed

Show answer

Answer: precede

Precede means to come before, which matches to come before. Proceed means to go forward/continue, so it is the wrong choice here.

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