How to pronounce "persecutions" in English
ˌpɜːrsɪˈkjuːʃənz
pur·sih·KYOO·shənz
Primary stress: KYOO
Hear native speakers say persecutions in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “persecutions”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
pur
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
sih
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
KYOO
Tense long vowel with sustained acoustic resonance.
shənz
Neutral schwa (⁄ə⁄): relaxed jaw, brief unstressed breath.
Primary emphasis falls on the third syllable ("KYOO"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America.
How Native Speakers Say It: In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "persecutions" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "persecutions is" sounds like "persecutions-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "persecutions" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“the anti-communist persecutions of the cold war era.”— StanfordWatch clip
“religious persecutions happening before in history since the executioner the virus didn't let people openly practice their”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“scattered because of the persecutions that took place over Stephen," notice how--”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“in response to mass persecutions and displacements of the Second World War.”— TED-EdWatch clip
“And so you have these various persecutions, and these various purges, and they get more and more significant as you go into the second”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“very tough and rough prosecutor doing political persecutions other people were thinking you can do nothing you do N9 years in the doing”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
Practice Speaking “persecutions”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
the anti-communist persecutions of the cold war era.
Hear it in context: “persecutions”
52 clipsThe English word “persecutions” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˌpɜːrsɪˈkjuːʃənz (phonetic respelling: pur-sih-KYOO-shənz). Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (pur · sih · KYOO · shənz), with primary lexical stress placed on the 3rd syllable (KYOO). Grammatically, “persecutions” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 52 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “persecutions” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Stanford, TEDx Talks, YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USStanfordClip #1 · @56:16
“outside the communist party he ultimately suffers more than Graham from the anti-communist persecutions of the cold war era. He's more of a target because he's more better because he's more better”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #2 · @5:58
“were closed pilgrims last year this might remind you a bit of the religious persecutions happening before in history since the executioner the virus didn't let people openly practice their virus didn't let people openly practice their”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #3 · @9:33
“and then look at 11:19, "Now those who were scattered because of the persecutions that took place over Stephen," notice how-- over Stephen," notice how--”
- 🇺🇸 USTED-EdClip #4 · @0:46
“relating to the status of refugees in response to mass persecutions and displacements of the Second World War. It defines a refugee as someone who is outside their country of nationality,”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #5 · @2:29
“and no longer follow these Roman practices. And so you have these various persecutions, and these various purges, and they get more and more significant as you go into the second and these various purges,”
Definition & Meaning: “persecutions”
- Systematic hostility or ill-treatment, especially because of race, political, or religious beliefs.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Many families fled their homelands to escape religious persecutions.”
- “the anti-communist persecutions of the cold war era. He's more of a target because he's more better”
- “religious persecutions happening before in history since the executioner the virus didn't let people openly practice their”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “persecutions”
- Pronunciation:
- pur-sih-KYOO-shənz
- Syllables:
- pur · sih · KYOO · shənz
- Written Hyphenation:
- per · se · cu · tions
- Primary stress:
- KYOO
- IPA:
- ˌpɜːrsɪˈkjuːʃənz
- Hear it in context
- persecutions
Words that Rhyme with “persecutions”
-uʃənzWords that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"persecutions" (⁄ˌpɜːrsɪˈkjuːʃənz⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "persecutions" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about persecutions
How do you pronounce “persecutions”?
“persecutions” is pronounced ⁄ˌpɜːrsɪˈkjuːʃənz⁄ (pur-sih-KYOO-shənz). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “persecutions”?
“persecutions” has 4 syllables: pur · sih · KYOO · shənz.
Where is the stress in “persecutions”?
The primary stress in “persecutions” is on “KYOO”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “persecutions” mean?
Systematic hostility or ill-treatment, especially because of race, political, or religious beliefs.
How can I hear “persecutions” used in real sentences?
This page has 52 real-world video examples of “persecutions” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “persecutions”?
Pronouncing a hard, aspirated [tʰ] in casual conversation can sound overly formal in North America. In American English, a single "t" between vowels quickly taps against the alveolar ridge like a soft "d" ([ɾ]). In British English, maintain a crisp aspirated [tʰ].