epitomize

/əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz/

//əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz// verb

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

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

The verdict

“epitomize” is uncommon English (frequency #90,413 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,413
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make an epitome of; to shorten; to condense.

Corpus desk

Index EN-epitomize · epitomize · English

epitomize · rank #90,413 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,413
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Eom

Nearest frequency peer: Eom (-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 “epitomize”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for epitomize
PropertyValue
Headwordepitomize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#90,413
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “epitomize” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).epitomizefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Eom” (#90,412), “epos” (#90,414), “enteral” (#90,410). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “epitomize” is #90,413. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

epitomize is uncommon English at frequency #90,413 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for epitomize, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From epitome + -ize. The correct English form is epitomize, spelled E-P-I-T-O-M-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make an epitome of; to shorten; to condense.
  2. 2
    To be an epitome of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The framework of Combinatory Categorial Grammar epitomizes the rule-based generalized categorial architecture.

Etymology

From epitome + -ize.

Synonyms

sum up

This word in other languages

résumer(Français)verkörpern(Deutsch)personificar(Português)

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 "epitomize"?
"epitomize" is spelled E-P-I-T-O-M-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz/.
What does "epitomize" mean?
As a verb, "epitomize" means: To make an epitome of; to shorten; to condense.
How do you pronounce "epitomize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "epitomize" is /əˈpɪt.əˌmaɪz/. 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 "epitomize"?
From epitome + -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 "epitomize", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Ernakulam#90,418fascistic#90,439drainpipe#90,385downrange#90,380

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list