Practice
Proceed vs precede: order and meaning
Sign in to saveAfter the safety check, the crew may proceed to the next task. The safety check precedes the task because it happens first. The words look similar, but they describe opposite directions in an order.
Choose proceed when something continues or moves forward, and precede when something comes earlier in time, position, or order.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
The review precedes the decision, so we can proceed with care. /ðə rɪˈvjuː prɪˈsiːdz ðə dɪˈsɪʒ.ən səʊ wi kən prəˈsiːd wɪð keə/
The short answer
Use proceed when a person or process continues. Use precede when one person, thing, or event comes before another in time, place, or sequence.
The guests may proceed to the dining room after the announcement.
Why it works: Proceed describes the guests moving on to the next place. It does not mean that they arrived before the announcement.
6 more examples
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Once the chair arrives, we can proceed with the meeting.
Proceed means continue with the meeting after the chair arrives.
Not this:The chair's arrival
precedes the meeting. What changes: Precedes shows that the arrival happens earlier than the meeting. -
Please proceed to gate 14 when your group is called.
Proceed to gives an instruction to move forward to a place.
Not this:The security check
precedes boardingat gate 14. What changes: Precedes identifies the earlier step in the travel sequence. -
If the figures are correct, the team will proceed with the report.
The team can continue the work after checking the figures.
Not this:A review of the figures
precedes the final report. What changes: The review takes place before the report is completed. -
After you save the form, proceed to the payment page.
Proceed tells the reader to take the next step.
Not this:Saving the form
precedes the payment page. What changes: Saving happens first in the sequence. -
The guide told the group to proceed along the marked path.
Proceed describes moving forward along a route.
Not this:A short bridge
precedes the marked path. What changes: The bridge comes before the path in the route. -
When the questions are finished, the interviewer will proceed to the final topic.
The interviewer moves on to a later part of the conversation.
Not this:The opening questions
precede the final topic. What changes: The questions occur earlier in the interview order.
Read the full guide
First, look for the direction of the sentence. Proceed points ahead: continue with a plan, go to another place, or move to the next step. Precede points back to an earlier position: one event happens before another, or one item comes before another in a list. The word after precede often names what comes later.
Choose by direction
Proceed moves a person, action, or process forward. Precede places one thing before another. Decide whether the sentence is about the next step or an earlier step.
After the briefing, the volunteers can proceed with the work.
The volunteers continue with the work, so proceed is correct. The briefing precedes the work because it occurs first.
Which word fits an event that happened first?
Use precede. It means come or happen before another event, item, or position.
Use proceed for the next step
Proceed often appears with with when an activity continues, and with to when someone goes to a new place or stage. It can describe a physical movement or the next part of a process.
When the screen opens, proceed to the account settings.
Proceed to tells someone where to go next. The account settings do not come before the screen; they are the next destination.
Complete the sentence: If everyone agrees, we can ___ with the plan.
Use proceed. The group can continue with the plan after reaching agreement.
Use precede for earlier order
Precede needs the person, event, or item that comes later. It can describe time, a route, a document, or the order of letters and numbers.
A title page precedes the first chapter.
The title page is earlier in the document. It precedes the first chapter, which follows it.
Complete the sentence: In the alphabet, J ___ K.
Use precedes. J comes before K in alphabetical order.
Notice the grammar after each verb
Proceed can stand alone, but it commonly takes with, to, or after. Precede is followed directly by its object. This grammar pattern can help when the meanings feel close.
The panel will proceed after a short break.
After a short break shows when the panel will continue. In The break precedes the discussion, precedes takes the later event directly.
Which sentence is correct: proceed with the discussion or precede with the discussion?
Use proceed with the discussion. The phrase means continue the discussion.
Check time, place, or a sequence
Precede does not refer only to time. A doorway can precede a room on a route, and one name can precede another in a list. In every case, the first thing comes before the second one.
A narrow corridor precedes the gallery entrance.
The corridor comes first on the route. Visitors proceed through it to reach the entrance.
You mean that a warning appears first. Which verb fits: The warning ___ the message?
Use precedes because the warning appears before the message.
Use sound and spelling as a final check
Both words rhyme, so spelling and sentence meaning matter. Say proceed as /prə-SEED/ and precede as /pri-SEED/. Then check whether the sentence points forward or names what came first.
The announcement precedes the signal to proceed.
The announcement happens first, so it precedes the signal. The signal allows the action to continue, so people proceed.
Which word means continue after the signal?
Use proceed. It describes moving forward after the signal.
Before you go
Remember this
Use proceed for continuing or going forward: proceed with the meeting and proceed to the next page. Use precede for an earlier event, position, or item: the check precedes boarding and B precedes C. If the sentence needs an object that comes later, precede is often the right verb.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Proceed vs precede: order and meaning"
What is the main difference between proceed and precede?
Proceed means continue or move forward. Precede means come before something else in time, position, or order. For example, a group can proceed with a meeting, while a short introduction precedes the meeting. The direction of the sentence tells you which verb fits.
Once the chair arrives, we can proceed with the meeting.
How do I use proceed in a sentence?
Use proceed when someone or something continues. Common patterns are proceed with a task, proceed to a place, and proceed after an event. In After the break, we can proceed with the meeting, the meeting continues. In Proceed to the next page, the reader moves to a later step.
The chair's arrival precedes the meeting.
How do I use precede in a sentence?
Use precede when one thing comes before another. Follow precede with the item that comes later: The title page precedes the first chapter, and the security check precedes boarding. It can describe earlier time, a position on a route, or the order of items in a sequence.
Please proceed to gate 14 when your group is called.
Is precede followed by with or to?
Usually, no. Precede takes its object directly: A review precedes the report. Proceed commonly takes with, to, or after: proceed with the report, proceed to the next page, or proceed after the review. This pattern helps separate the two verbs when their spellings seem similar.
The security check precedes boarding at gate 14.
Do proceed and precede sound the same?
They rhyme, but they do not begin with the same vowel sound. Proceed is pronounced /prəˈsiːd/, with a weak first syllable. Precede is pronounced /prɪˈsiːd/, with the vowel sound in print. In both words, the main stress falls on the second syllable.
If the figures are correct, the team will proceed with the report.