persevere
/ˌpɝ.səˈviɹ/verb
persevere is spelled P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, persevere means “To persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in persevere?
| Letters | 9: P-E-R-S-E-V-E-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 30,418th 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 and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 persevere?
Persevere appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 30,418th 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 persevere?
- UK /ˌpɜːsəˈvɪə/
- US /ˌpɝ.səˈviɹ/
Persevere 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)-Vealhurl-persevere.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with persevere?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as persevere from its last stressed vowel (/iɹ/):
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 persevere
- perseveres present, singular, he/she/it
- persevering participle, present
- persevered participle, past
- perservere
- persever
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does persevere mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To persist steadfastly in pursuit of an undertaking, task, journey, or goal, even if hindered by distraction, difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement.
- 2
obsoleteTo stay constant; to continue in a certain state; to remain.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Persevere in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense persist steadfastly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | persévérer |
| German | ausdauern, ausharren, beharren, durchhalten, standhaft bleiben, nicht aufgeben |
| Portuguese | perseverar |
| Spanish | perseverar |
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 persevere come from?
From Middle English perseveren, from Old French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre (“to continue steadfastly, persist, persevere”), from perseverus (“very strict or earnest”), from per (“through, by the means of”) + severus (“strict, earnest”). Doublet of perseverate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).