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This paper is an attempt to find out a persuasive analytic tool for English partial reduplication processes. One of the most notable characteristics of English partial reduplication structures is that each half of reduplication structures has different features in vowel qualities or onset segments. This dissimilatory aspect of English partial reduplication structures has functional motivation to increase listener’s perception. As a way to find out a persuasive analytic tool for English partial reduplication, this paper compared analyses of English partial reduplication in the Precedence-based Theory, Morphological Doubling Theory and Optimality Theory, and proposes that Optimality Theory should be the most persuasive theoretical tool. Compared to the other theories, Optimality Theory represents characteristics of English partial reduplication well with the constraints employed for analysis. Furthermore, Optimality Theory has a much wider range of analysis so that other reduplication processes could be analyzed within this theory. Therefore, taking into account outstanding explanatory power and breath of analysis range, this paper proposes that Optimality Theory should be the most persuasive tool for the analysis of partial reduplication in English.