anathematize
/əˈnæ.θə.mə.taɪz/
"anathematize" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“anathematize” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cause to be, or to declare as, an anathema or evil.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | anathematize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /əˈnæ.θə.mə.taɪz/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “anathematize” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for anathematize is 12 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈnæ.θə.mə.taɪz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To cause to be, or to declare as, an anathema or evil.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for anathematize, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From anathema + -ize; the -t- is part of the root of the underlying Greek word ἀνάθεμα (anáthema) (albeit not visible in the nominative singular form), which also explains the plural anathemata and other derivations from anathema such as anathematic. The correct English form is anathematize, spelled A-N-A-T-H-E-M-A-T-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To cause to be, or to declare as, an anathema or evil.
Etymology
From anathema + -ize; the -t- is part of the root of the underlying Greek word ἀνάθεμα (anáthema) (albeit not visible in the nominative singular form), which also explains the plural anathemata and other derivations from anathema such as anathematic.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “anathematize”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-N-A-T-H-E-M-A-T-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈnæ.θə.mə.taɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.