persecute

/ˈpɝsəkjut/

//ˈpɝsəkjut// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"persecute" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“persecute” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,625. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,625
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-persecute · persecute · English

persecute · rank #37,625 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,625
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH phat

Nearest frequency peer: phat (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “persecute”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “persecute” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

persecute vs prosecute
78% similar
persecute vs persecuted
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for persecute
PropertyValue
Headwordpersecute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpɝsəkjut/
Letters9
Frequency rank#37,625
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “persecute”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).persecutelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “phat” (#37,626), “permafrost” (#37,623), “parlance” (#37,622). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “persecute” is #37,625. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around persecute (IPA /ˈpɝsəkjut/), averb. Corpus frequency is #37,625 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for persecute, with forms such as "eprsecute", "perescute", and "perrsecute". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "prosecute", "persecuted", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is persecute, spelled P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 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.
  2. 2
    To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.
  3. 3
    To kill many of one species of animal, with the intent of removing them from human habitats.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how persecute appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He who persecutes one will persecute all.
  2. I have heard, brethren, how sharply Antichrist persecuteth you, in vexing the faithful servants of Christ with divers and strange kinds of afflictions.

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

oppressharassdistressannoy

This word in other languages

perseguir(Español)persécuter(Français)verfolgen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprsecute
  • perescute
  • perrsecute
  • persceute
  • perseccute
  • persectue
  • persecuet
  • persecutte
  • perseucte
  • perssecute
  • pesrecute
  • ppersecute
  • presecute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of persecute - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eprsecute2perescute2perrsecute1persceute2perseccute1persectue2persecuet2persecutte1
Edit distance from "persecute"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "persecute"?
"persecute" is spelled P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɝsəkjut/.
What does "persecute" mean?
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.
What words are commonly confused with "persecute"?
"persecute" is commonly confused with "prosecute", "persecuted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "persecute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "persecute" is /ˈpɝsəkjut/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "persecute"?
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. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "persecute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

parabolic#37,618ordinator#37,607propriety#37,643neverland#37,594

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

parlance13 variantsprioritise13 variantsrockland13 variantsminstrel13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list