Seek is a transitive verb meaning to attempt to find something or someone, or to ask for information or guidance. It conveys an active pursuit, often with intention or effort, rather than passive discovery. In usage, it can also imply striving for a goal or objective, sometimes with formal or legal connotations.
- Common mistakes: 1) Lengthening or shortening the /iː/ inconsistently; fix by steady, held vowel with a crisp /k/. 2) Softening the /k/ into a glottal stop or making it an elusive, unreleased /k/; ensure a full release with a small puff. 3) Coarticulation with following words in connected speech causing the vowel to dip or the /k/ to be swallowed.
"She will seek advice from her lawyer before proceeding with the contract."
"They set out to seek the source of the river in the map."
"The company seeks to expand its market overseas."
"If you seek answers, you must ask the right questions.”"
Seek originates from the Old English verb sēcan, which itself derives from Proto-Germanic *saukjanan, related to the Proto-Indo-European root *sok-, meaning to seek or to swallow up. In Old English, sēcan appeared as sēcan or sēcanian with meanings centered on pursuing, asking, or seeking information. The term evolved through Middle English as siken or seeken, influenced by Norman French counterparts such as cuercher. By the Early Modern English period, seek had become a common verb in both literal and figurative senses (to seek guidance, to seek revenge, to seek clues). The core semantic trajectory has remained consistent: an active, directed effort to attain or discover something that is not yet possessed. The word has retained its essential transitive usage, though it expanded to metaphorical contexts (seek asylum, seek approval) and formal registers (seek counsel, seek redress). First known uses appear in medieval texts, with frequent appearances in religious and legal writings, reflecting the word’s emphasis on deliberate pursuit and inquiry across centuries.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "Seek" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Seek" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Seek" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Seek"
-eak sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
Pronounce as /siːk/. It is a single stressed syllable with a long /iː/ vowel followed by a voiceless velar stop /k/. Start with a high-front tongue position for /iː/, then quickly close the back of the tongue to make /k/. The mouth should be slightly spread at the vowel onset, lips relaxed. You’ll hear a clean, long vowel before the final /k/ release. Audio references include standard dictionaries with US/UK pronunciations; aim for the same IPA /siːk/ in your practice.
Two common errors: 1) Shortening the vowel to /ɪ/ (seek -> sik). 2) Dropping the final /k/ or using a glottal stop instead of a clear /k/ (seek → siek or see). Correction: hold the /iː/ for a full beat and articulate a precise clear /k/ with a small puff of air after the release. Practice with minimal pairs like keep/kik or seek/sick to reinforce vowel length and final consonant clarity.
US/UK/AU share /siːk/. The main differences lie in surrounding vowels and phonotactics; rhoticity does not affect seek since it’s not a rhotic word, but in fast connected speech you may hear a slightly longer vowel duration in British English and crisper final /k/ release in American speech. Australian English tends to be consistent with /siːk/ but may feature slightly less precise articulation in casual speech; ensure the final /k/ is audible in all accents.
The difficulty is mainly sustaining the long /iː/ vowel and then executing the final voiceless /k/ cleanly in a single syllable. ESL speakers often shorten /iː/ to /i/ or drop the release, making it sound like /siː/ or /si:k/. Mastery requires keeping the tongue high for the long vowel, then a rapid, precise back-of-mouth /k/ release with no voicing after the release. Practice slow and precise, then speed up while maintaining accuracy.
Does ‘seek’ ever rhyme with ‘speak’? Not exactly; seek rhymes with words that end in /iːk/ such as peak, leak, meek, week, and speak is /spiːk/—it shares the long /iː/ plus /k/ ending, but has an initial consonant cluster different from /siːk/. The most relevant unique question is about the final /k/ release timing in rapid speech and how it can merge with following consonants in connected speech; practice with phrases like seek her help now and seek out information to sharpen timing.
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