Start a free trial

Commonly Confused Words: Prophecy vs. Prophesy


In British and Australian English, when two words sound similar but one is spelt with a ‘c’ and the other with an ‘s’, it is usually the case that the former is a noun and the latter is a verb. 

In a previous blog post we shared four pairs of words that follow this rule and today we have another pair to add to the list: prophecy and prophesy. 

The difference in meaning between these two words is also present in American English. 

A prophecy is a prediction of something that will happen in the future. It is pronounced prof-eh-see. 

Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word and to hear how its pronounced. 

Here is prophecy used in some example sentences:

  • The prophecy painted a bleak picture of their future. 
  • Will the fortune teller maker a prophecy?

Prophesy is a verb used to describe the act of predicting or revealing something about the future. It is pronounced prof-eh-sigh. 

Click here for the full Spellzone dictionary definition of the word and to hear how its pronounced. 

Here is prophesy used in some example sentences: 

  • I prophesy that it will rain tomorrow. 
  • The media prophesied that the politician would resign after the scandal. 

Learn more about -ice nouns and -ise verbs here. 

 



05 Jun 2020
blog home

Tags:

Prophecy, Prophesy, Words, Pronounced, English, Verb, Click

Start a free trial

"This is a fantastic opportunity for our students!  I'm sure Spellzone will be invaluable in helping them to improve their spellings and therefore improve the quality of their writing in all subject areas!"

Teacher, High School, UK