persecution

/ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/

//ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən// noun

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

"persecution" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“persecution” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,904. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,904
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

Corpus desk

Index EN-persecution · persecution · English

persecution · rank #10,904 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,904
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH perceive

Nearest frequency peer: perceive (-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 “persecution”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “persecution” 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).

persecution vs prosecution
82% similar
persecution vs perfection
82% similar

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

Key facts for persecution
PropertyValue
Headwordpersecution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#10,904
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “persecution”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).persecutionlands 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 “perceive” (#10,903), “petrol” (#10,905), “PE” (#10,902). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “persecution” is #10,904. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around persecution (IPA /ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,904 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for persecution, with forms such as "eprsecution", "perescution", and "perrsecution". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "prosecution", "perfection", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Equivalent to persecute + -ion. From Middle English persecucioun, from Old French persecucion, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecūtio (“persecution; chase, pursuit”), from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follow”). Displ… The correct English form is persecution, spelled P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many apartheid perpetrators escaped prosecution for their persecution of black Africans and political dissidents.
  2. During the early 20th century, wolves were considered undesirable. They were subject to persecution and were extirpated from large areas of their original range. With increased environmental awareness in the 1970s, attitudes toward wolves began to change.

Etymology

Equivalent to persecute + -ion. From Middle English persecucioun, from Old French persecucion, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecūtio (“persecution; chase, pursuit”), from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follow”). Displaced native Old English ēhtnes.

This word in other languages

persecución(Español)persécution(Français)Verfolgung(Deutsch)perseguição(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eprsecution
  • perescution
  • perrsecution
  • persceution
  • perseccution
  • persectuion
  • persecuiton
  • persecusion
  • persecutino
  • persecutionn
  • persecutoin
  • persecuttion
  • perseuction
  • perssecution
  • pesrecution
  • ppersecution
  • presecution

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of persecution - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eprsecution2perescution2perrsecution1persceution2perseccution1persectuion2persecuiton2persecusion1
Edit distance from "persecution"

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 "persecution"?
"persecution" is spelled P-E-R-S-E-C-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/.
What does "persecution" mean?
As a noun, "persecution" means: The act of persecuting, especially a specific group of people; an instance of persecution.
What words are commonly confused with "persecution"?
"persecution" is commonly confused with "prosecution", "perfection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "persecution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "persecution" is /ˌpɝsəˈkjuʃən/. 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 "persecution"?
Equivalent to persecute + -ion. From Middle English persecucioun, from Old French persecucion, from Ecclesiastical Latin persecūtio (“persecution; chase, pursuit”), from Latin persequor (“follow up, pursue”), from per- (“through”) + sequor (“follo... 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 "persecution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

philosopher#10,906nationality#10,893radioactive#10,916realization#10,920

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

inflammatory17 variantsundertaking17 variantsvoluntarily17 variantscontributor17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list