criminalize
verb
criminalize is spelled C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-I-Z-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, criminalize means “To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in criminalize?
| Letters | 11: C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 48,230th 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 criminalize?
Criminalize appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 48,230th 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 criminalize?
Criminalize has 4 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). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-criminalize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of criminalize
- criminalizes present, singular, he/she/it
- criminalizing participle, present
- criminalized participle, past
- criminalise UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does criminalize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make (something) a crime; to make illegal under criminal law; to ban.
- 2
To treat as a criminal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Criminalize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | criminaliser |
| Portuguese | criminalizar |
| Spanish | prohibir, ilegalizar, penalizar , criminalizar |
| German | kriminalisieren |
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 criminalize come from?
From criminal + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).