criminalize

verb

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

"criminalize" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“criminalize” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,163. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,163
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban.

Corpus desk

Index EN-criminalize · criminalize · English

criminalize · rank #48,163 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #48,163
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crandall

Nearest frequency peer: crandall (-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 “criminalize”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “criminalize” 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).

criminalize vs criminality
82% similar

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

Key facts for criminalize
PropertyValue
Headwordcriminalize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters11
Frequency rank#48,163
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “criminalize”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).criminalizelands 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 “crandall” (#48,162), “crocheted” (#48,164), “counterculture” (#48,161). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “criminalize” is #48,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around criminalize, averb. Corpus frequency is #48,163 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for criminalize, with forms such as "ccriminalize", "cirminalize", and "criimnalize". 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, "criminality", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

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

Definition

  1. 1
    To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban.
  2. 2
    To treat as a criminal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Ag-gag laws criminalize undercover investigations by prohibiting one or more of three types of behavior: trespass, recording of videos, and failure to submit a video to law enforcement."
  2. The Nixon campaign in 1968[…] had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. […] [B]y getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities.

Etymology

From criminal + -ize.

This word in other languages

prohibir(Español)criminaliser(Français)kriminalisieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccriminalize
  • cirminalize
  • criimnalize
  • crimianlize
  • criminailze
  • criminaliez
  • criminalizze
  • criminallize
  • criminalzie
  • criminlaize
  • criminnalize
  • crimminalize
  • crimnialize
  • crmiinalize
  • crriminalize
  • rciminalize

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of criminalize - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccriminalize1cirminalize2criimnalize2crimianlize2criminailze2criminaliez2criminalizze1criminallize1
Edit distance from "criminalize"

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 "criminalize"?
"criminalize" is spelled C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-I-Z-E.
What does "criminalize" mean?
As a verb, "criminalize" means: To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban.
What words are commonly confused with "criminalize"?
"criminalize" is commonly confused with "criminality". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "criminalize"?
From criminal + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

disassemble#48,190caffeinated#48,112endometrial#48,219eucharistic#48,223

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

Constantin16 variantschargeable16 variantschangeling16 variantsbiophysics16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list