# persecute vs persecuted

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### persecute
*verb · IPA /ˈpɝsəkjut/ · frequency rank #37,625*
To pursue in a manner to do harm or cruelty to; especially, because of the victim's race, sexual identity, or adherence to a particular belief.

### persecuted
*verb · IPA /ˈpɝsəˌkjutɪd/ · frequency rank #16,768*
simple past and past participle of persecute

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/persecute-vs-persecuted