pursuit

/pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt/

//pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt// noun

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

"pursuit" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pursuit” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,906. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,906
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-pursuit · pursuit · English

pursuit · rank #5,906 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,906
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH provisions

Nearest frequency peer: provisions (-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 “pursuit”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “pursuit” 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).

pursuit vs pursue
71% similar
pursuit vs pursued
71% similar
pursuit vs pursuing
75% similar

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

Key facts for pursuit
PropertyValue
Headwordpursuit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,906
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pursuit”

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).pursuitlands 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 “provisions” (#5,905), “rap” (#5,907), “reflected” (#5,908). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pursuit” is #5,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around pursuit (IPA /pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,906 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for pursuit, with forms such as "ppursuit", "prusuit", and "purrsuit". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "pursue", "pursued", "pursuing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pursuyte, from Old French poursuite, from the verb porsuir (“to pursue”). The correct English form is pursuit, spelled P-U-R-S-U-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of pursuing.
  2. 2
    A hobby or recreational activity, done regularly.
  3. 3
    A discipline in track cycling where two opposing teams start on opposite sides of the track and try to catch their opponents.
  4. 4
    prosecution

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Unremitting pursuit of wealth doesn't bring happiness, particularly if successful.
  2. Mother[…]considered that the exclusiveness of Peter's circle was due not to its distinction, but to the fact that it was an inner Babylon of prodigality and whoredom, from which every Kensingtonian held aloof, except on the conventional tip-and-run excursions in pursuit of shopping, tea and theatres.

Etymology

From Middle English pursuyte, from Old French poursuite, from the verb porsuir (“to pursue”).

This word in other languages

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ppursuit
  • prusuit
  • purrsuit
  • pursiut
  • purssuit
  • pursuitt
  • pursuti
  • purusit
  • pusruit
  • uprsuit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pursuit - 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.

ppursuit1prusuit2purrsuit1pursiut2purssuit1pursuitt1pursuti2purusit2
Edit distance from "pursuit"

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 "pursuit"?
"pursuit" is spelled P-U-R-S-U-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt/.
What does "pursuit" mean?
As a noun, "pursuit" means: The act of pursuing.
What words are commonly confused with "pursuit"?
"pursuit" is commonly confused with "pursue", "pursued", "pursuing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pursuit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pursuit" is /pə(ɹ)ˈsjuːt/. 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 "pursuit"?
From Middle English pursuyte, from Old French poursuite, from the verb porsuir (“to 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 "pursuit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

pressed#5,902prayers#5,900Samsung#5,915sounded#5,918

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

athlete10 variantsclosure10 variantsBeijing10 variantsenabled10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list