persecute
/ˈpɝsəkjut/verb
persecute is spelled P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “persecute vs prosecute” about 30 times a month (Bing, United States). As a verb, persecute means “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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in persecute?
| Letters | 9: P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is persecute?
Persecute appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce persecute?
- US /ˈpɝsəkjut/
- UK /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːt/
Persecute has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Mélange_a_trois-persecute.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with persecute
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of persecute
- persecutes present, singular, he/she/it
- persecuting participle, present
- persecuted participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does persecute mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
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.
He who persecutes one will persecute all.
- 2
To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.
- 3
To kill many of one species of animal, with the intent of removing them from human habitats.
Humans have been persecuting wolves in this forest for centuries.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Persecute in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | persécuter |
| German | verfolgen, schikanieren, bedrängen, peinigen , plagen, belästigen |
| Portuguese | perseguir |
| Spanish | perseguir, cazar, encalzar (disused) , importunar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does persecute come from?
Borrowed from Middle French persécuter, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecutor, from Latin persequor, persecutus (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follow”) (English sequel). Compare prosecute. Cf. also pursue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).