Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

persons

/ˈpɝ.sənz/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.43 in modern English

Syllables: per-sons
IPA: /ˈpɝ.sənz/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

plural of person, used to refer to them individually, rather than as a group; contrast people

Formal

verb

third-person singular simple present indicative of person

name

A surname originating as a patronymic.

Example Sentences

"2007 May 14: The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, Current Population Survey Frequently Asked Questions — Question 5: “Who is counted as unemployed?” Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the prior 4 weeks, and are currently available for work."
"Similar studies of rats have employed four different intracranial resorbable, slow sustained release systems— […]. Such a slow-release device containing angiogenic factors could be placed on the pia mater covering the cerebral cortex and tested in persons with senile dementia in long term studies."
"Which persons are responsible for this mess?"

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈpɝ.sənz/
British English: /ˈpɜː.sənz/

Usage

Formal

Rhymes With

worsens

Questions

How do you pronounce persons?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɝ.sənz/.
What does persons mean?: plural of person, used to refer to them individually, rather than as a group; contrast people

How to pronounce persons

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “persons”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɝ.sənz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “persons”.
Repeat and practice — Say “persons” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.