Persue or pursue? The correct spelling is pursue. It has a U after the P and another U after the S. “Persue” is a common misspelling, and standard dictionaries don’t list it as a correct form. Pursue means to chase, to follow, or to work toward something, as in “She wants to pursue a career in law.”
So why does the wrong spelling look so tempting? Your ear hears “per-SOO,” so the letter E feels natural. The spelling doesn’t follow the sound, though. You’ll see the four main meanings of pursue, real examples, the reasons people slip, and a quick trick that settles persue or pursue for good.
Quick Answer: Persue or Pursue?
Pursue is correct. Persue is a misspelling. Pursue means to chase something or to work toward a goal. Both the first and last syllables carry a U, and the word begins with “pur-.”
Correct: “She will pursue a nursing degree.”
Incorrect: “She will persue a nursing degree.”
Why: Persue isn’t a word. It’s a spelling built from the sound alone.
Understanding the Basics: Persue or Pursue
Pursue is a verb. It entered English in the 14th century from French, which took it from Latin prosequi, meaning “to follow after.” Modern dictionaries list only pursue. Persue has no definition, no pronunciation entry, and no history of its own.
You say it “per-SOO.” That sound causes the whole problem. The ear hears per, but the page shows pur.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Pursue | Persue |
| Status | Correct spelling | Misspelling |
| Part of speech | Verb | None (not a word) |
| Sounds like | per-SOO | per-SOO (same sound) |
| Verb forms | pursues, pursued, pursuing | persues, persued, persuing (all wrong) |
| Related noun | pursuit | None |
Key Takeaway
There’s one verb and one spelling. If you mean to chase, seek, follow, or take up something, write pursue. Any other spelling is a typo.
Correct Meanings and Uses of Pursue
Pursue has several related senses. The core idea stays the same. You move toward something and keep going until you reach it or finish it.
Pursue Meaning #1: To Follow or Chase
This is the oldest and most literal sense. You follow someone or something to catch it, stop it, or reach it.
Examples
- The police pursued the stolen van for ten miles.
- Our puppy pursues every squirrel in the yard.
- Reporters pursued the mayor down the courthouse steps.
- Guilt pursued him long after the argument ended.
Sentence Breakdown
Take The police pursued the stolen van. “Police” is the subject. “Pursued” is the past tense verb. “The stolen van” is the direct object. Here, pursue is transitive, so it needs something to chase. You can flip it into the passive voice, too: The stolen van was pursued by the police.
Test Tip
Swap in “chase.” If the sentence still works, the word you want is pursue.
Pursue Meaning #2: To Work Toward a Goal
Here the chase is figurative. You go after a result, such as a job, a prize, or a dream.
Examples
- Priya pursues her goals one small step at a time.
- He pursued a promotion for two years.
- The school is pursuing a grant for new computers.
Sentence Breakdown
In Priya pursues her goals, the verb takes an -s because “Priya” is a singular third-person subject. The goals are the target. The effort is steady and ongoing, not instant.
Test Tip
Try “go after” or “seek.” If either fits, write pursue.
Pursue Meaning #3: To Continue an Activity
Sometimes pursue means to carry on with something or follow it up. Lawyers, managers, and researchers use it this way all the time.
Examples
- The lawyer will pursue the case in court.
- Let’s pursue this question after lunch.
- The ferry pursued a steady course across the bay.
Test Tip
Swap in “follow up on” or “carry on with.” A good fit means pursue is the right word.
Learn More: Gluing or Glueing? Correct Spelling + Easy Rule (2026)
Pursue Meaning #4: To Engage in a Profession or Interest
You can also pursue a career, a degree, or a hobby. The word suggests commitment, not a casual try.
Examples
- Leila pursued painting after she retired.
- Many of my classmates pursue medicine.
- He’s pursuing a master’s degree at night.
Test Tip
Try “take up” or “work in.” If it fits, spell it pursue.
Case Study Section
Workplace Email Example
Imagine Omar sends a quick note to his manager late on a Friday.
Incorrect Version
Hi Dana,
Thanks for the update. I’d like to persue the Henderson contract this quarter. Can we persue legal approval on Monday?
Best, Omar
Correct Version
Hi Dana,
Thanks for the update. I’d like to pursue the Henderson contract this quarter. Can we pursue legal approval on Monday?
Best, Omar
Why It Matters
The misspelled verb sits right at the center of Omar’s request. Dana might shrug it off. A client reading the same email might not. A spell-checker usually flags the error, but you can’t count on one when you’re typing fast or filling in a plain text box.
Grammar Rules Explanation
Why Is Pursue Correct?
Spelling follows convention, not sound. English borrowed the word from French in the 14th century, and dictionaries record it as pursue. No standard reference accepts any other form.
Grammar Rule
Pursue is a regular verb. Add -s for the third person singular. Add -d for the past. Drop the final E before -ing. The U after the R never moves.
- Base form: pursue
- Third person: pursues
- Past and past participle: pursued
- Present participle: pursuing
- Nouns: pursuit (the chase) and pursuer (the one chasing)
Avoid: persues, persued, persuing, pursute
Prefer: pursues, pursued, pursuing, pursuit
Here’s a memory trick that works. Pursue starts like purpose. Both begin with “pur-,” and you pursue things on purpose.
Common Mistakes
Why Do People Write Persue?
1. Fast Typing
Your fingers follow the sound in your head. At speed, “per-SOO” turns into p-e-r-s-u-e before you notice.
2. Pronunciation Similarities
Plenty of common words begin with the “per” sound and the letters p-e-r, such as person, perfect, and persist. Pursue sounds like them, so the pattern feels familiar. It just doesn’t apply here.
3. Autocorrect Dependence
Autocorrect quietly fixes the error, so you never learn the right form. Then you write a handwritten note or fill in a form with no checker, and the mistake shows up.
4. Lack of Familiarity
Many learners hear pursue in meetings and films long before they see it in print. Hearing without reading is a common route to a phonetic guess. That’s especially true for ESL learners.
Incorrect: “I persued a degree in biology.”
Correct: “I pursued a degree in biology.”
Why: The root stays pur- in every form of the verb.
Similar Grammar Confusions
Two real words get mixed up with pursue. Peruse means to read or examine something. Persuade means to convince someone. Neither one means to chase. Compare “He perused the menu” with “He pursued the waiter,” and you can see the gap.
Spelling by ear trips people up in many other words. Check sence or sense and treet vs treat for the same kind of trap. The pair treck or trek shows how a borrowed word can drift from its phonetic spelling. For a case where one letter changes the whole meaning, see relieving vs reliving.
Usage in Different Contexts
Everyday Conversation
Examples
- I’m going to pursue that idea tomorrow.
- She’s pursuing a second job to save for a trip.
Professional Writing
Examples
- We will pursue the partnership in the fourth quarter.
- The team pursued three vendors before choosing one.
Academic Writing
Examples
- Researchers pursued two lines of inquiry in the study.
- She plans to pursue a doctorate in linguistics.
Creative Writing
Examples
- Shadows pursued her down the empty corridor.
- He pursued the memory like a fading radio signal.
Social Media and Texting
Short formats and hashtags make typos easy to miss and easy to spread.
Examples
- Pursue what scares you. #newchapter
- gonna pursue that side project this weekend
Why It Matters
1. Clarity in Communication
A misspelled verb makes readers stop and decode. That small pause pulls attention away from your message.
2. Professionalism
Emails, cover letters, and reports get judged fast. Correct spelling shows care, and care shows respect for the reader.
3. Credibility
Readers trust writers who get small things right. One slip rarely ruins a message, but a pattern of slips does.
4. Digital Communication Accuracy
Résumés, job portals, and social posts live online. A typo there can be copied, shared, and screenshotted. So the habit of checking persue or pursue pays off quickly.
Quote
One wrong letter can make a careful sentence look careless.
Special Exception
Are There Any Exceptions?
No. Persue isn’t an accepted variant in modern English. American and British writers spell the verb the same way. Some words do split by region, such as mold vs mould or authorized or authorised. Pursue isn’t one of them.
Very old printed texts may show odd spellings for many words, because spelling wasn’t standardized then. That’s history, not a usage option. For anything you write today, pursue is the only choice.
Quick Recap Checklist
- Pursue is the only correct spelling.
- Persue is a misspelling with no meaning of its own.
- Pursue can mean chase, seek, continue, or take up.
- Use pursues, pursued, pursuing, and pursuit for the other forms.
- Think of purpose: both words start with “pur-.”
Practice Examples
Fill in each blank. Answers follow each item.
Example 1
She wants to ____ a career in music. Answer: pursue. The sentence needs the base verb after “to.”
Example 2
The detectives ____ the suspect all night. Answer: pursued. This is past tense, so add -d.
Example 3
He’s ____ his dream of opening a café. Answer: pursuing. Drop the E and add -ing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is persue a word?
No. Persue is a misspelling of pursue. It doesn’t have its own meaning in standard English.
Is persued correct?
No. The past tense is pursued, with a U after the P.
How do you spell pursuing?
P-U-R-S-U-I-N-G. Drop the final E from pursue before adding -ing.
What is the difference between pursue and peruse?
Pursue means to chase or work toward something. Peruse means to read or examine something.
Is pursue spelled differently in British English?
No. American and British English both use pursue.
How can I remember the spelling?
Link it to purpose. Both begin with “pur-,” and you pursue things on purpose.
Conclusion
Persue or pursue? Pursue wins every time. Persue is a misspelling that grows out of the way the word sounds. Pursue means to chase, work toward, continue, or take up something. Keep the U after the P and the U after the S, and your spelling will hold up in emails, essays, and texts.
Next time you doubt yourself, think of purpose. Both words start with “pur-,” and you pursue things on purpose. That one link settles persue or pursue in a second, so you can get back to the sentence you were writing.
