crystallize
/ˈkɹɪstəlaɪz/verb
crystallize is spelled C-R-Y-S-T-A-L-L-I-Z-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, crystallize means “To make something form into crystals” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in crystallize?
| Letters | 11: C-R-Y-S-T-A-L-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 62,894th 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 crystallize?
Crystallize appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 62,894th 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 crystallize?
- /ˈkɹɪstəlaɪz/
Crystallize has 3 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: En-us-crystalize.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of crystallize
- crystallizes present, singular, he/she/it
- crystallizing participle, present
- crystallized participle, past
- crystalize US
- crystallise
- crystalise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does crystallize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make something form into crystals.
I crystallized the copper sulfate by slowly cooling a saturated solution.
- 2
To assume a crystalline form.
The copper sulphate crystallized from solution.
- 3
To give a definite or precise form to (something).
After some thought, I crystallized my ideas for the paper.
- 4
To take a definite form.
My ideas crystallized overnight.
- 5
To coat something with crystals, especially with sugar.
We crystallized the fruit by coating in sugar.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Crystallize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cristalliser |
| German | kristallisieren |
| Portuguese | cristalizar , cristalizar-se |
| Spanish | cristalizar |
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 crystallize come from?
From crystal + -ize. The double l reflects the classical stem found in its etyma, Latin crystallus and Ancient Greek κρύσταλλος (krústallos), rather than the simplified spelling of the English base noun. Compare Hellenistic Greek κρυσταλλίζειν (krustallízein, “to shine like crystal”), post‐classical Latin crystallizare (“to change into crystal”), and French cristalliser.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).