# persecution vs prosecution

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### persecution
*noun · IPA /ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/ · frequency rank #10,904*
The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

### prosecution
*noun · IPA /ˌpɹɒs.ɪˈkjuː.ʃən/ · frequency rank #6,505*
The act of prosecuting a scheme or endeavor.

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