AAAmerican Accent US

pick on

Inseparable

The verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: pick ON. Saying “PICK on” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /k/ of “pick” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “pick on” is said “pi-ckon”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

What it means

  1. To repeatedly treat one person unfairly or cruelly.

    • “The kids used to pick on him for wearing glasses.”
    • “Why are you always picking on me?”

    Similar: bully, target

The particle logic

on

Something starts running, keeps running, or sits on a surface.

Listen + practice

Hear “pick on” spoken naturally

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Read the sentence aloud. Keep the stress on the particle and run the two words together — we’ll score every sound and flag what to work on.

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More PICK phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

pick up

To collect someone or something from a place.

pick up on

To notice something subtle.

pick out

To choose one thing from a group.

pick at

To eat only small amounts of food without enthusiasm.

pick on — meaning, examples & how to say it