How to spell perseverance

hear itper·se·ver·ance/,pɜrsə'virəns/nounSchwa and roots

What it means: Persistent determination to achieve a goal.

In a sentence: With perseverance, the little turtle kept moving forward to reach the pond.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as perserverance or perseverence.

Same family: persevere, persevering, persevered, persistent, determination. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Perseverance” comes from Latin *perseverantia*, from *per-* (“through”) and *severus* (“serious, strict”), originally meaning to keep going through something in a strict, steady way. It has been used in English since the 14th century to praise people who do not give up.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

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