commercialize

/kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/

//kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz// verb

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

"commercialize" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commercialize” is uncommon English (frequency #59,286 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,286
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To bring into commerce from an earlier condition (such as idea alone, experimental prototypes alone, or one-off custom builds only).

Key facts for commercialize
PropertyValue
Headwordcommercialize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/
Letters13
Frequency rank#59,286
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commercialize” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). commercialize lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

commercialize is uncommon English at frequency #59,286 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for commercialize, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From commercial + -ize. The correct English form is commercialize, spelled C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bring into commerce from an earlier condition (such as idea alone, experimental prototypes alone, or one-off custom builds only).
  2. 2
    To apply business methodology to something in order to profit (such as introducing salability to a resource that comes from, or rightfully belongs to, the commons).
  3. 3
    To exploit something for maximum financial gain, sometimes by sacrificing quality.

Etymology

From commercial + -ize.

This word in other languages

comercializar(Español)commercialiser(Français)kommerzialisieren(Deutsch)comercializar(Português)

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 "commercialize"?
"commercialize" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/.
What does "commercialize" mean?
As a verb, "commercialize" means: To bring into commerce from an earlier condition (such as idea alone, experimental prototypes alone, or one-off custom builds only).
How do you pronounce "commercialize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commercialize" is /kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/. 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 "commercialize"?
From commercial + -ize. 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.

Using “commercialize”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-M-E-R-C-I-A-L-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəˈmɚʃəlaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list