euthanize

/ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/

//ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz// verb

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

The verdict

“euthanize” is uncommon English (frequency #74,946 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,946
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To carry out euthanasia on (a person or animal).

Corpus desk

Index EN-euthanize · euthanize · English

euthanize · rank #74,946 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,946
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH eviscerate

Nearest frequency peer: eviscerate (+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 “euthanize”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for euthanize
PropertyValue
Headwordeuthanize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#74,946
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “euthanize” 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).euthanizefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “eviscerate” (#74,947), “eugh” (#74,944), “Famicom” (#74,949). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “euthanize” is #74,946. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

euthanize is uncommon English at frequency #74,946 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To carry out euthanasia on (a person or animal).".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for euthanize, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from euthanasia; 1970s. The correct English form is euthanize, spelled E-U-T-H-A-N-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To carry out euthanasia on (a person or animal).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. John decided to euthanize his dying dog.
  2. A terminally ill minor has become the first child to be euthanized in Belgium since age restrictions were lifted in the country two years ago.

Etymology

Back-formation from euthanasia; 1970s.

Synonyms

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 "euthanize"?
"euthanize" is spelled E-U-T-H-A-N-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/.
What does "euthanize" mean?
As a verb, "euthanize" means: To carry out euthanasia on (a person or animal).
How do you pronounce "euthanize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "euthanize" is /ˈjuː.θənˌaɪz/. 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 "euthanize"?
Back-formation from euthanasia; 1970s. 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 "euthanize", 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