One missing letter can turn a perfectly good word into a spelling mistake. Persue vs Pursue is a common example, especially because the incorrect version looks like it should be pronounced and spelled naturally.
So, should you write persue or pursue? The correct spelling is pursue. The word “persue” is a misspelling and isn’t considered a standard English word.
The same rule applies when the word changes form: pursuing is correct, while persuing is incorrect.
Persue vs Pursue: The Quick Answer
Here’s the answer at a glance:
- Pursue — correct
- Persue — incorrect
- Pursuing — correct
- Persuing — incorrect
- Pursued — correct
- Pursuit — correct
For example:
“She decided to pursue a career in medicine.”
Not:
“She decided to persue a career in medicine.”
The confusion usually comes from the pronunciation and the fact that English spelling doesn’t always follow predictable patterns.
What Does Pursue Mean?
Pursue is a verb that generally means to follow, chase, seek, or work toward something.
It can describe a physical action, such as chasing someone, but it is also commonly used for goals, careers, interests, relationships, and ambitions.
For example:
“The police pursued the suspect.”
Here, pursue means to chase or follow.
But:
“He wants to pursue his dream of becoming a writer.”
Here, pursue means to actively work toward achieving something.
Common Meanings of Pursue
Depending on the context, pursue can mean:
- To chase or follow
- To seek something
- To work toward a goal
- To continue an activity
- To try to achieve something
- To develop an interest or career
This makes pursue a particularly useful word in formal and everyday English.
Why Is “Persue” Incorrect?
Persue is simply a spelling error.
The correct word is pursue, with a u after the “p”:
P-U-R-S-U-E
A useful way to remember it is to focus on the beginning:
PURsue
Not:
PERsue
The word can be tricky because its pronunciation doesn’t make the spelling immediately obvious.
Persue or Pursue: Which One Should You Use?
If you’re choosing between persue or pursue, always choose:
Pursue
For example:
- “I plan to pursue higher education.”
- “She pursued her passion for photography.”
- “They are pursuing new business opportunities.”
- “He decided to pursue the matter further.”
Avoid:
- “I plan to persue higher education.”
- “She persued her passion.”
Pursuing or Persuing: Which Is Correct?
The correct form is:
Pursuing
Persuing is incorrect.
This is another common spelling mistake because people may assume that “pursue” simply becomes “persuing” when adding -ing.
But the spelling remains based on pursue:
pursue → pursuing
Why Does the E Disappear?
When many English verbs ending in a silent e take the -ing ending, the final e is dropped.
For example:
- pursue → pursuing
- use → using
- make → making
- write → writing
So:
pursue + ing → pursuing
Not:
persue + ing → persuing
The spelling of the base word is important here.
Pursuing vs Persuing Examples
Correct:
“She is pursuing a degree in engineering.”
Incorrect:
“She is persuing a degree in engineering.”
Correct:
“They are pursuing their long-term goals.”
Incorrect:
“They are persuing their long-term goals.”
Correct:
“He is pursuing a new opportunity.”
Incorrect:
“He is persuing a new opportunity.”
Once you remember pursue, the spelling of pursuing becomes much easier.
How Do You Spell Pursue?
If you’re wondering how to spell the word, break it into letters:
P-U-R-S-U-E
The easiest part to forget is the u after “p.”
Think:
PUR + SUE = PURSUE
You can also connect it to the related noun pursuit, which begins with the same pursu- spelling.
Pursue vs Pursuit
ThePursue and pursuit are closely related, but they have different grammatical roles.
Pursue
The Pursue is a verb.
“She wants to pursue her goals.”
Pursuit
Pursuit is a noun.
“Her pursuit of excellence took years.”
The basic idea is the same: actively seeking or working toward something.
Other related forms include:
- Pursue — verb
- Pursued — past tense
- Pursuing — present participle
- Pursuit — noun
Knowing these related forms can help reinforce the correct spelling.
Common Uses of Pursue
The word pursue appears in many different contexts.
Pursue a Career
“He decided to pursue a career in technology.”
This means he chose to work toward a career in that field.
Pursue a Goal
“She continued to pursue her goal despite several setbacks.”
Here, pursue means to actively work toward an objective.
Pursue an Interest
“He pursued his interest in photography.”
This means he spent time developing or exploring that interest.
Pursue a Relationship
“He decided to pursue a relationship with her.”
In this context, pursue means to actively seek a romantic relationship.
Pursue a Question or Investigation
“The journalist pursued the story further.”
Here, pursue means to continue investigating or seeking information.
Common Mistakes With Pursue
1. Writing “Persue”
“I want to persue my dreams.”
“I want to pursue my dreams.”
The first version is a spelling error.
2. Writing “Persuing”
“She is persuing a degree.”
“She is pursuing a degree.”
The correct spelling is pursuing.
3. Confusing Pursue With Peruse
This is a different issue altogether.
Pursue means to chase, seek, or work toward something.
Peruse generally means to read or examine something carefully, although its usage can vary in modern English.
For example:
“She plans to pursue a career in law.”
But:
“Please peruse the report before the meeting.”
These words shouldn’t be substituted for each other.
Pursue vs Peruse: Why the Confusion Happens
The words pursue and peruse look and sound somewhat similar, so they’re sometimes confused.
A simple distinction is:
| Word | Basic Meaning | Example |
| Pursue | Follow, seek, or work toward | “He pursued his ambition.” |
| Peruse | Read or examine | “She perused the document.” |
Remember: if you’re talking about chasing a goal, you almost certainly want pursue.
Easy Ways to Remember “Pursue”
If you regularly misspell the word, try one of these memory tricks.
Remember “PUR”
Start with:
PURsue
The word begins with pur, not per.
Connect It to “Pursuit”
Think:
pursue → pursuit
Both begin with pursu-.
Remember the Phrase “Pursue Your Dreams”
This is one of the most common expressions using the word.
Pursue your dreams.
If you remember that phrase, you’ll also remember the spelling.
Frequently Asked Questions About Persue vs Pursue
Is it persue or pursue?
The correct spelling is pursue. “Persue” is a misspelling.
Is pursuing or persuing correct?
Pursuing is correct. Persuing is incorrect.
How do you spell pursue?
Pursue is spelled P-U-R-S-U-E.
What does pursue mean?
Pursue means to follow, chase, seek, or actively work toward something, such as a goal, career, interest, or ambition.
What is the past tense of pursue?
The past tense is pursued.
For example:
“She pursued her dream of becoming a doctor.”
What is the noun form of pursue?
The related noun is pursuit.
For example:
“His pursuit of knowledge never stopped.”
Why do people spell pursue as persue?
The mistake is common because the pronunciation doesn’t make the spelling obvious. People may also naturally associate the first sound with “per,” leading them to write persue instead of pursue.
Is “persue” a word?
No. Persue is not the standard spelling of the English verb. The correct spelling is pursue.
What is the difference between pursue and pursuing?
Pursue is the base form of the verb, while pursuing is its -ing form.
For example:
“I want to pursue my goal.”
“I am pursuing my goal.”
Conclusion: Persue vs Pursue
When comparing Persue vs Pursue, there’s only one correct spelling: pursue.
Remember the key forms:
- Pursue
- Pursued
- Pursuing
- Pursuit
- Persue
- Persuing
So, if you’re wondering persue or pursue, choose pursue. And when you add -ing, remember that the correct form is pursuing, not “persuing.”
Once you connect pursue with the related word pursuit or the familiar phrase “pursue your dreams,” the spelling becomes much easier to remember.
