electrify

/ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ/

//ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ// verb

"electrify" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“electrify” is uncommon English (frequency #62,120 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,120
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To supply electricity to; to charge with electricity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-electrify · electrify · English

electrify · rank #62,120 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,120
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Eleazar

Nearest frequency peer: Eleazar (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “electrify”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “electrify” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for electrify
PropertyValue
Headwordelectrify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#62,120
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “electrify” in English

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).electrifyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Eleazar” (#62,119), “Eisenstein” (#62,118), “ephedrine” (#62,122). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “electrify” is #62,120. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

electrify is uncommon English at frequency #62,120 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for electrify, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From electric + -fy. The correct English form is electrify, spelled E-L-E-C-T-R-I-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To supply electricity to; to charge with electricity.
  2. 2
    To cause electricity to pass through; to affect by electricity; to give an electric shock to.
  3. 3
    To adapt (a home, farm, village, city, industry, vehicle, railroad) for electric power.
  4. 4
    To strongly excite, especially by something delightful or inspiring; to thrill.
  5. 5
    To make electric.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to electrify a cable
  2. Those most rural routes will not get overhead wires. As Reeve told the seminar: "Even in my wildest dreams, I can't see a business case for electrifying the Far North Line."

Etymology

From electric + -fy.

This word in other languages

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 "electrify"?
"electrify" is spelled E-L-E-C-T-R-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ/.
What does "electrify" mean?
As a verb, "electrify" means: To supply electricity to; to charge with electricity.
How do you pronounce "electrify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "electrify" is /ɪˈlɛktɹɪfaɪ/. 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 "electrify"?
From electric + -fy. 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 "electrify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list