perseveration
per·sev·er·a·tion/pɚˌsɛvəˈɹeɪʃən/noun
perseveration is spelled P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-A-T-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables (per·sev·er·a·tion). It appears about once in every 65 million words in written English, the 252,559th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, perseveration means “An uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of perseveration is perseverations.
How many letters and syllables are in perseveration?
| Letters | 13: P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: per·sev·er·a·tion |
| In writing | about once in every 65 million words; the 252,559th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is perseveration?
Perseveration appears about once in every 65 million words in written English, the 252,559th 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 perseveration?
- UK /pəˌsɛvəˈɹeɪʃən/
- US /pɚˌsɛvəˈɹeɪʃən/
Perseveration has 5 syllables, split per·sev·er·a·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with perseveration?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as perseveration from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of perseveration
- perseverations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does perseveration mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually caused by a brain injury or other organic disorder.
- 2
The tendency to continue or repeat an act or activity after the cessation of the original stimulus.
- 3
The act or an instance of persevering; perseverance.
- 4
derogatoryAn argument by repetition; a mantra.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).