Which to use
“persecution” and “prosecution” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,904
- “persecution” frequency rank
- #6,505
- “prosecution” frequency rank
- 17409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | persecution | prosecution |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution. | The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set persecution and prosecution apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. persecution (/ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/) and prosecution (/ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
persecution is recorded at frequency rank #10,904, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/. prosecution is at rank #6,505, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/.
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 17409, this pair ranks #451,621 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of persecution vs prosecution
Shared letters: ceinoprstu. Private to "persecution": -. Private to "prosecution": -.
"persecution" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVVC · "prosecution" · 11 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- persecution ← eprsecution · perescution · perrsecution · persceution · perseccution · persectuion · persecuiton · persecusion
- prosecution ← porsecution · pprosecution · proescution · prosceution · proseccution · prosectuion · prosecuiton · prosecusion
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "persecution" and "prosecution" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "persecution" or "prosecution"?
Remembering persecution vs prosecution
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 “persecution” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable