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pertain

verb

Simple meaning

To relate to, concern, or be relevant to.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pertayn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

pɚˈteɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To relate to, concern, or be relevant to.

  2. intransitive

    To belong to or be connected as a part, adjunct, attribute, or accessory.

  3. intransitive

    To apply; to be or remain in place; to continue to be applicable.

  4. To be appropriate or suitable.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To relate to, concern, or be relevant to.

Used this way, pertain is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Belong

pertain primarilypertain mainly

Other combinations

data pertainpertain directlypertain specificallypertain exclusivelypertain solelypertain especially

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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.