civilized

/ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/

//ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd// adj

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

The verdict

“civilized” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,492. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,492
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a highly developed society or culture; belonging to civilization.

Corpus desk

Index EN-civilized · civilized · English

civilized · rank #14,492 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #14,492
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH chuckle

Nearest frequency peer: chuckle (-1 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 “civilized”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “civilized” 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).

civilized vs civilised
89% similar

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

Key facts for civilized
PropertyValue
Headwordcivilized
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#14,492
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “civilized”

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).civilizedlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “chuckle” (#14,491), “comb” (#14,493), “cherish” (#14,490). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “civilized” is #14,492. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around civilized (IPA /ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,492 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for civilized, with forms such as "ccivilized", "ciivlized", and "civiilzed". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "civilised", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is civilized, spelled C-I-V-I-L-I-Z-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a highly developed society or culture; belonging to civilization.
  2. 2
    Showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement; humane, reasonable, ethical.
  3. 3
    Marked by refinement in taste and manners.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the year 1521, when Cortez reached Anahuac, the American bison was seen for the first time by civilized Europeans, if we may be permitted to thus characterize the horde of blood thirsty plunder seekers who fought their way to the Aztec capital.
  2. Like the wolf, man the hunter in killing the weak and unfit, actually works to maintain the health of the herd. But civilized man is quite a different animal, and when he wipes out an entire city or levels a forest, he is no longer working within the natural balance of things.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccivilized
  • ciivlized
  • civiilzed
  • civiliezd
  • civilizde
  • civilizedd
  • civilizzed
  • civillized
  • civilzied
  • civliized
  • civvilized
  • cviilized
  • icvilized

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of civilized - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccivilized1ciivlized2civiilzed2civiliezd2civilizde2civilizedd1civilizzed1civillized1
Edit distance from "civilized"

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 "civilized"?
"civilized" is spelled C-I-V-I-L-I-Z-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/.
What does "civilized" mean?
As an adjective, "civilized" means: Having a highly developed society or culture; belonging to civilization.
What words are commonly confused with "civilized"?
"civilized" is commonly confused with "civilised". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "civilized"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "civilized" is /ˈsɪv.ɪ.laɪzd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "civilized" come from?
"civilized" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "civilized", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list