authorize
/ˈɔθəɹaɪz/verb
authorize is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, authorize means “To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in authorize?
| Letters | 9: A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.4 times per million words; the 17,587th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is authorize?
Authorize appears 2.4 times per million words in written English, the 17,587th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce authorize?
- US /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/
- US /ˈɑθəɹaɪz/
- Canada /ˈɒθəɹaɪz/
Authorize has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-authorize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with authorize
Also written: authorise.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of authorize
- authorizes present, singular, he/she/it
- authorizing participle, present
- authorized participle, past
- authorise
- authourize rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does authorize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
BritishUSTo grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.
The General Assembly authorized the Council to take up the matter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate authorize?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of authorize: auth..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Authorize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | autoriser |
| German | autorisieren, berechtigen, befugen, ermächtigen, bevollmächtigen , eine Erlaubnis erteilen für |
| Portuguese | autorizar, deixar |
| Spanish | autorizar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does authorize come from?
From Middle English auctorisen, from Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctōrizāre, from Latin auctor. See author about the orthography with ⟨h⟩. Doublet of octroy.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).