apologize
/əˈpɒləd͡ʒaɪz/
"apologize" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“apologize” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,473. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #5,473
- frequency rank, English
- 35,202
- “A” headwords
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | apologize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /əˈpɒləd͡ʒaɪz/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #5,473 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “apologize” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 12 spelling variants around apologize (IPA /əˈpɒləd͡ʒaɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,473 among 35,202 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for apologize, with forms such as "aoplogize", "aploogize", and "apolgoize". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "apologies", "apologise", "apologist", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From apology + -ize, from ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defense”), from ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai, “to speak in one’s defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), compound of ἀπο- (apo-, “from, off”) and λόγος (lógos, “speech”); compare also … The correct English form is apologize, spelled A-P-O-L-O-G-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
- 2To express regret that a certain event has occurred.
- 3To make an apologia or defense; to act as apologist.
Etymology
From apology + -ize, from ἀπολογία (apología, “a speech in defense”), from ἀπολογέομαι (apologéomai, “to speak in one’s defense”), from ἀπόλογος (apólogos, “an account, story”), compound of ἀπο- (apo-, “from, off”) and λόγος (lógos, “speech”); compare also ἀπολογίζομαι (apologízomai, “to render an account”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- aoplogize
- aploogize
- apolgoize
- apollogize
- apologgize
- apologiez
- apologizze
- apologzie
- apoloigze
- apoolgize
- appologize
- paologize
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apologize - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "apologize"?
What does "apologize" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "apologize"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “apologize”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-P-O-L-O-G-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈpɒləd͡ʒaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “apologies” - see the side-by-side comparison. apologize vs apologies
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Same frequency band
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.