Pursue or Persue: Which Spelling Is Correct?

Pursue is the correct spelling. Persue is a misspelling.

If you’ve typed “persue” before hitting send, you’re not alone — it’s one of the more common spelling errors in English. The word sounds almost the way people expect it to look, which is exactly what causes the confusion.

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What Does Pursue Mean?

Pursue is a verb. It means to follow, chase, or work toward something over time.

It covers two broad situations:

1. Physically chasing something or someone
The dog pursued the ball across the yard.
Police pursued the suspect through three neighborhoods.

2. Working toward a goal, career, or interest
She decided to pursue a career in architecture.
He spent years pursuing a better understanding of the law.
They pursued every option before giving up.

The second meaning is the more common one in modern writing. You pursue dreams, degrees, opportunities, answers, and ambitions.

Why Do People Write “Persue”?

The confusion comes from how the word sounds. When spoken, the first syllable sounds like per — similar to words like perform, perhaps, or permit. So the brain maps the sound to a familiar spelling pattern and produces “persue.”

The actual spelling — pursue — follows a less intuitive pattern. The pur- beginning appears in other English words (purpose, purple, purse), but it’s not as dominant a pattern as per-, so the brain doesn’t reach for it first.

There’s no version of English — American, British, Australian, or Canadian — where “persue” is accepted. It has no alternate status. Every major dictionary lists only pursue.

The Word’s Other Forms

Once you have the root spelling right, the related forms follow naturally:

Form	Example
pursue	They pursue excellence in everything they do.
pursues	She pursues every lead carefully.
pursued	He pursued the matter for months.
pursuing	The company is pursuing a new strategy.
pursuit	The pursuit of happiness is a famous phrase.

Note that pursuit — the noun — drops the final e. This is a normal pattern in English (compare: argue → argument).

A Simple Way to Remember Pursue or Persue

Think of the noun purse. A purse is something you carry with you — you keep it close, you follow it around. Pursue starts the same way: pur-.

If you can spell purse, you can spell pursue.

Quick Takeaway

Whenever you’re tempted to write “persue,” pause and swap the e for a u at the start: pursue. That’s the only correct form, in every context and every variety of English.

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Afini Chimaobi

It’s Afini, I am the author at Vocab press, a website focused on animal facts with clear visuals and simple guides. I research and share accurate, easy-to-understand information for readers of all ages. My goal is to make learning about animals fun, trustworthy, and simple. I follow fact-based writing and keep content updated, helpful, and people-first. Thank you for reading.