# terrorism vs terrorize

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### terrorism
*noun · IPA /ˈtɛɹəɹɪzəm/ · frequency rank #4,805*
The system of fear and intimidation put into place during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France around 1793-94.

### terrorize
*verb · IPA /ˈtɛɹəɹaɪz/ · frequency rank #37,732*
To fill (someone) with terror; to terrify.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/terrorism-vs-terrorize