authorize

/ˈɔθəɹaɪz/

//ˈɔθəɹaɪz// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"authorize" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“authorize” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,545. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,545
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.

Corpus desk

Index EN-authorize · authorize · English

authorize · rank #17,545 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,545
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH astrology

Nearest frequency peer: astrology (-2 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “authorize”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “authorize” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

authorize vs authorized
90% similar
authorize vs authority
78% similar
authorize vs authorise
89% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for authorize
PropertyValue
Headwordauthorize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɔθəɹaɪz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#17,545
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “authorize”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).authorizelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “astrology” (#17,543), “baroness” (#17,547), “barrow” (#17,548). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “authorize” is #17,545. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around authorize (IPA /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #17,545 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Dominant gloss: "To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for authorize, with forms such as "atuhorize", "auhtorize", and "authhorize". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "authorized", "authority", "authorise", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English auctorisen, from Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctorizare, from Latin auctor. See author about the orthography with ⟨h⟩. Doublet of octroy. The correct English form is authorize, spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how authorize appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The General Assembly authorized the Council to take up the matter.
  2. The judge authorized the wiretapping.

Etymology

From Middle English auctorisen, from Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctorizare, from Latin auctor. See author about the orthography with ⟨h⟩. Doublet of octroy.

This word in other languages

autorizar(Español)autoriser(Français)autorisieren(Deutsch)autorizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • atuhorize
  • auhtorize
  • authhorize
  • authoirze
  • authoriez
  • authorizze
  • authorrize
  • authorzie
  • authroize
  • autohrize
  • autthorize
  • uathorize

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of authorize - 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.

atuhorize2auhtorize2authhorize1authoirze2authoriez2authorizze1authorrize1authorzie2
Edit distance from "authorize"

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 "authorize"?
"authorize" is spelled A-U-T-H-O-R-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/.
What does "authorize" mean?
As a verb, "authorize" means: To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.
What words are commonly confused with "authorize"?
"authorize" is commonly confused with "authorized", "authority", "authorise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "authorize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "authorize" is /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "authorize"?
From Middle English auctorisen, from Old French auctorisier, from Medieval Latin auctorizare, from Latin auctor. See author about the orthography with ⟨h⟩. Doublet of octroy. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "authorize", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

astrology#17,543affidavit#17,534adversity#17,532bodyguard#17,558

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

censored12 variantsconferred12 variantsdisciple12 variantsskeletal12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list