colonize
col·o·nize/ˈkɑlənaɪz/verb
colonize is spelled C-O-L-O-N-I-Z-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables (col·o·nize). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, colonize means “To settle (a place) with colonists, and hence make (a place) into a colony” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in colonize?
| Letters | 8: C-O-L-O-N-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: col·o·nize |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is colonize?
Colonize appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd 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 colonize?
- US /ˈkɑlənaɪz/
- UK /ˈkɒlənaɪz/
- British /ˈkɔlənɑjz/
Colonize has 3 syllables, split col·o·nize in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-colonize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with colonize?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as colonize from its last stressed vowel (/ɑlənaɪz/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of colonize
- colonizes present, singular, he/she/it
- colonizing participle, present
- colonized participle, past
- colonise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does colonize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To settle (a place) with colonists, and hence make (a place) into a colony.
- 2
To settle among and establish control over (the indigenous people of an area).
- 3
To begin a colony or colonies.
- 4
To intrude into and take over (the autonomy, experience, social movement, etc, of a less powerful person or group); to commandeer or appropriate.
To have our grief colonized to facilitate a racist political agenda was beyond offensive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Colonize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense transitive: to make (a place) into a colony:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | coloniser |
| German | kolonisieren |
| Portuguese | colonizar |
| Spanish | colonizar |
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 colonize come from?
From colony + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).