Per se vs per say can confuse writers because both expressions sound almost identical when spoken, yet only one is correct in standard English. If you’ve seen per se and per say used online, in emails, or on social media, you may wonder whether they mean the same thing or if one is simply a spelling mistake.

The short answer is simple: per se is the correct expression. Per say is a common misspelling that appears because people often write the phrase exactly as they hear it. Since the pronunciation can be misleading, many English speakers accidentally replace se with say.

In this guide, you’ll learn what per se means, why per say is incorrect, where the expression came from, and how to use it naturally in everyday American English. You’ll also see clear examples that make the difference easy to remember.

Quick Answer to Per Se vs Per Say

If you’re comparing per se vs per say, always choose per se.

Per se is a correct Latin expression that means “by itself,” “in itself,” or “intrinsically.” It has become a standard part of modern English.

Per say is not a standard English expression. It is simply a phonetic misspelling of per se.

✅ Correct: I’m not against remote work per se, but I prefer working in the office.

❌ Incorrect: I’m not against remote work per say, but I prefer working in the office.

Why Per Se and Per Say Cause Confusion

The confusion between per se and per say comes almost entirely from pronunciation.

Unlike many English expressions, per se comes directly from Latin. Most English speakers hear the phrase long before they ever see it written. Because it sounds very similar to “per say,” many naturally assume that’s how it’s spelled.

Several other factors also contribute to the mistake.

The pronunciation is misleading.

People usually pronounce per se as:

per SAY

Since the final sound matches the English word say, writers often replace the unfamiliar se with the familiar spelling.

The phrase is uncommon.

Although per se appears in newspapers, books, legal writing, business communication, and everyday conversation, people don’t write it as often as ordinary English words. Therefore, many never learn its correct spelling.

Spell-check may not help.

Some spelling tools don’t always recognize per say as an error because both per and say are valid English words individually. As a result, the mistake can easily slip into emails, blog posts, or social media comments.

People write what they hear.

English contains many expressions that come from other languages. Consequently, writers sometimes spell them phonetically instead of learning their original forms. Per se belongs to that group.

Per Se vs Per Say Key Differences at a Glance

Table 1

Context	Best Choice	Why
Academic writing	Per se	Standard English expression
Business emails	Per se	Professional and correct
Formal reports	Per se	Accepted by dictionaries
Casual conversation	Per se	Correct even in speech
Social media	Per se	Standard spelling
Text messages	Per se	Avoids spelling mistakes

Table 2

Feature	Per Se	Per Say
Meaning	By itself; intrinsically	No accepted meaning
Correct spelling	Yes	No
Standard American English	Yes	No
Part of speech	Adverbial phrase	Not recognized
Dictionary entry	Yes	No
Formal writing	Appropriate	Incorrect
Pronunciation	per SAY	Sounds similar but spelled incorrectly

Meaning and Usage of Per Se and Per Say

Understanding the difference becomes much easier once you know what per se actually means.

Although both expressions sound alike, only one has an accepted meaning in English. The other exists because people spell the phrase according to its pronunciation rather than its actual form.

Per Se vs Per Say Meaning in Simple English

Think of per se as another way to say “by itself” or “in itself.”

It tells readers that something is not necessarily good or bad on its own, even though it may become so in a particular situation.

For example:

Fast food isn’t unhealthy per se. Eating it every day is the real problem.

Here, the speaker is saying that fast food by itself is not automatically unhealthy.

Using per say in the same sentence would simply be a spelling mistake.

Per Se Meaning and Usage

Per se is a Latin phrase that English has borrowed for hundreds of years. It literally means “by itself.”

In modern American English, writers use it when they want to focus on something in isolation instead of considering outside circumstances.

You will often find per se in:

• Academic writing
• Legal documents
• News articles
• Business communication
• Professional emails
• Everyday conversation

Although it sounds formal, most native English speakers understand it without difficulty.

Common meanings include:

• In itself
• By itself
• Intrinsically
• Essentially on its own

For example:

• The movie wasn’t bad per se; it was simply too long.
• Money isn’t happiness per se.
• The software isn’t broken per se. It just needs an update.
• Working from home isn’t distracting per se.
• Exercise isn’t difficult per se once you develop a routine.

Notice that per se usually follows the word or idea it modifies.

Pronunciation

A simple pronunciation guide is:

per SAY

IPA:

/pɝː ˈseɪ/

Ironically, this pronunciation explains why so many people mistakenly write per say.

Per Say Meaning and Usage

Per say is not a recognized spelling in modern American English.

Major dictionaries do not list it as the intended expression because it has no independent meaning in this context. Instead, it represents a common phonetic misspelling of per se.

People usually write per say because:

• They have heard the phrase but never seen it written.
• They assume the final sound should be spelled like the English word say.
• They rely on pronunciation instead of the original spelling.

For example:

❌ She wasn’t angry per say.

✅ She wasn’t angry per se.

Another example:

❌ The proposal wasn’t expensive per say.

✅ The proposal wasn’t expensive per se.

Whenever you want to express the idea of “by itself” or “not inherently,” always write per se.

Using per say can make your writing appear less polished, especially in academic papers, professional emails, or business documents.

Tone, Context, and Formality of Per Se and Per Say

The biggest difference between per se and per say is not tone—it’s correctness. Per se is the only accepted expression in standard American English. Per say is a misspelling and should not appear in edited writing.

Here’s how per se works in different situations:

• Formal writing: Appropriate and widely accepted.
• Academic writing: Common in essays, research papers, and textbooks.
• Business communication: Suitable when used naturally.
• Emails: Fine for professional and personal emails.
• Casual conversation: Native speakers often use it in speech.
• Social media: Correct, though some users mistakenly write per say.
• Standard American English: Recognized by major dictionaries and style guides.

Because per say is not a standard spelling, avoid it in every type of writing.

Which Should You Use: Per Se vs Per Say?

When deciding between per se and per say, the choice is simple.

• Use per se when you mean “by itself,” “in itself,” or “intrinsically.”
• Use per se in essays, reports, emails, business writing, and everyday conversation.
• Avoid per say because it is a spelling mistake.
• Check your sentence by replacing per se with “by itself.” If the sentence still makes sense, you’ve used it correctly.

Memory Trick

Think of per se as a borrowed Latin phrase.

The ending “se” stands for the original Latin spelling—not the English word say. If you remember that per se is Latin, you’ll be much less likely to write per say.

When Per Se or Per Say Sounds Wrong

Here are common mistakes and their corrections.

Incorrect:
The new policy isn’t unfair per say.

Correct:
The new policy isn’t unfair per se.

Why:
Use the correct Latin expression, not the phonetic spelling.

Incorrect:
I’m not criticizing your idea per say.

Correct:
I’m not criticizing your idea per se.

Why:
Per say is not standard English.

Incorrect:
The software isn’t broken per say.

Correct:
The software isn’t broken per se.

Why:
The phrase means “not broken in itself.”

Incorrect:
She’s not lazy per say; she’s overwhelmed.

Correct:
She’s not lazy per se; she’s overwhelmed.

Why:
The speaker means she isn’t inherently lazy.

Incorrect:
The project wasn’t a failure per say.

Correct:
The project wasn’t a failure per se.

Why:
Always spell the expression per se.

Common Per Se and Per Say Mistakes and Quick Fixes

Mistake:

Writing the phrase exactly as it sounds.

Incorrect:
He wasn’t upset per say.

Correct:
He wasn’t upset per se.

Quick Fix:
Remember that per se is a Latin phrase, so its spelling does not match its pronunciation.

Mistake:

Using per say in a business email.

Incorrect:
The budget isn’t the problem per say.

Correct:
The budget isn’t the problem per se.

Quick Fix:
Professional writing should always use the standard spelling.

Mistake:

Thinking per say is an accepted alternative.

Incorrect:
Either spelling works.

Correct:
Only per se is accepted.

Quick Fix:
Modern dictionaries recognize only per se.

Mistake:

Using per se when “exactly” would be clearer.

Incorrect:
I don’t per se agree.

Correct:
I don’t exactly agree.

Quick Fix:
Use per se only when you mean “in itself” or “by itself.”

Mistake:

Adding the phrase when it isn’t needed.

Incorrect:
The weather is cold per se today.

Correct:
The weather is cold today.

Quick Fix:
Only use per se when it adds the meaning of “intrinsically” or “by itself.”

Everyday Per Se and Per Say Examples

At School

• The experiment wasn’t difficult per se; it just required patience.
• Your answer isn’t incorrect per se, but it needs more detail.
• The assignment isn’t confusing per se once you read the instructions.

At Work

• The proposal isn’t expensive per se.
• The meeting wasn’t unnecessary per se; it simply lasted too long.
• Our strategy isn’t ineffective per se.

Per Say Usage Examples ✅

• The recipe isn’t complicated per se.
• The dog isn’t aggressive per se.
• The house isn’t small per se.

In Business

• The investment isn’t risky per se, but market conditions may change.
• The contract isn’t unfair per se.
• The pricing model isn’t unusual per se.

In Emails

• Your suggestion isn’t wrong per se; I’d just like another option.
• The schedule isn’t impossible per se.
• The report isn’t incomplete per se.

On Social Media

• The movie wasn’t boring per se, it just moved slowly.
• The update isn’t bad per se.
• The design isn’t outdated per se.

In Everyday Conversation

• “I’m not tired per se, I just need coffee.”
• “The food wasn’t spicy per se.”
• “He’s not rude per se.”

Dictionary-Style Details for Per Se and Per Say

Per Se

• Standard spelling: Yes
• Pronunciation: per SAY (/pɝː ˈseɪ/)
• Part of speech: Adverbial phrase
• Definition: By itself; in itself; intrinsically.
• Common grammatical role: Modifies a statement to indicate that something should be considered independently.
• Close synonyms:
  • In itself
  • By itself
  • Intrinsically
  • Essentially
  • As such
• Relevant antonyms: None in direct usage.

Per Say

• Per say is not recognized as a standard spelling in modern American English.

It is a common misspelling of per se and should not be used in formal or informal writing.

Verb Use

Neither per se nor per say commonly functions as a verb in standard English.

Noun Use

Neither expression functions as a noun.

Per se is used as an adverbial phrase, while per say has no accepted grammatical role.

Synonyms and Alternatives

If you want to avoid repeating per se, you can sometimes use:

• by itself
• in itself
• inherently
• intrinsically
• essentially
• as such (depending on context)

Choose the alternative that best fits your sentence because not every synonym works in every situation.

Per Se and Per Say Example Sentences

Per Se

1. Success isn’t about money per se.
2. The issue isn’t the deadline per se.
3. His comment wasn’t offensive per se.
4. Coffee isn’t unhealthy per se.
5. The policy isn’t confusing per se.
6. The design isn’t outdated per se.
7. Her explanation wasn’t incorrect per se.
8. The app isn’t slow per se.

Incorrect vs. Correct Per Say Examples ⭐ (Best)

• ❌ The solution wasn’t perfect per say.
• ✅ The solution wasn’t perfect per se.

• ❌ I’m not criticizing you per say.
• ✅ I’m not criticizing you per se.

• ❌ The book wasn’t boring per say.
• ✅ The book wasn’t boring per se.

• ❌ The meeting wasn’t pointless per say.
• ✅ The meeting wasn’t pointless per se.

• ❌ The system isn’t broken per say.
• ✅ The system isn’t broken per se.

Word History

Per se comes directly from Latin, where it literally means “through itself” or “by itself.” English adopted the phrase centuries ago, and writers still use it with essentially the same meaning today.

Per say has no separate history or accepted origin. It developed because English speakers often spelled the Latin phrase according to how it sounds rather than how it is written.

Phrases Containing Per Se or Per Say

Common expressions with per se:

• not bad per se
• not wrong per se
• not illegal per se
• not harmful per se
• not impossible per se
• not surprising per se

These are common fixed patterns in everyday and professional English.

There are no standard English expressions that correctly use per say. Whenever you see it, replace it with per se.

Quick MCQs on Per Se and Per Say

1. Which sentence uses the correct expression?

A. The plan isn’t bad per say.
B. The plan isn’t bad per se.
C. The plan isn’t bad perse.
D. The plan isn’t bad per sey.

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Per se is the correct standard spelling.

2. What does per se mean?

A. In the future
B. By itself
C. Without permission
D. At the same time

Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Per se means “by itself” or “in itself.”

3. Which sentence uses per se correctly?

A. The product isn’t expensive per se.
B. The product isn’t expensive per say.
C. The product isn’t expensive perse.
D. The product isn’t expensive persee.

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The phrase should always appear as per se.

4. Why do people often misspell per se as per say?

A. Both forms have different meanings.
B. Dictionaries prefer both spellings.
C. The pronunciation sounds like “say.”
D. The phrase comes from English slang.

Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The similar pronunciation causes the common spelling mistake.

5. Which alternative can replace per se in many sentences?

A. By itself
B. Yesterday
C. Quickly
D. Together

Correct Answer: A
Explanation: “By itself” often matches the meaning of per se.

Frequently Asked Questions About Per Se vs Per Say

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Conclusion: Remembering Per Se vs Per Say

The difference between per se vs per say is simple once you remember the correct spelling. Per se is the accepted expression, while per say is a common mistake caused by pronunciation. Use per se when you mean “by itself,” “in itself,” or “not inherently.”

A quick memory tip can help: per se keeps the original Latin spelling, even though it sounds like “per say.” Whether you are writing an email, school assignment, business document, or online post, choosing per se will keep your writing accurate and professional.

Always trust the correct spelling over the way a phrase sounds.