Commonly Confused Words: Prophecy vs. Prophesy

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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
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