criminalization
/ˌkɹɪmɪnəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/noun
criminalization is spelled C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N: 15 letters and 6 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, criminalization means “The act of making a previously legal activity illegal, the act of making something a criminal offence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of criminalization is criminalizations.
How many letters and syllables are in criminalization?
| Letters | 15: C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,129th 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 criminalization?
Criminalization appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,129th 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 criminalization?
- /ˌkɹɪmɪnəlaɪzˈeɪʃən/
Criminalization has 6 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).
Forms of criminalization
- criminalizations plural
- criminalisation UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does criminalization mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act of making a previously legal activity illegal, the act of making something a criminal offence.
- 2
The act of turning someone into a criminal by making their activities illegal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Criminalization in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense making a previously legal activity illegal:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | criminalisation, pénalisation |
| German | Kriminalisierung |
| Portuguese | criminalização |
| Spanish | criminalización |
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 criminalization come from?
From criminal + -ization or criminalize + -ation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).