ionize
/ˈaɪ.ə.naɪz/verb
ionize is spelled I-O-N-I-Z-E: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, ionize means “To dissociate atoms or molecules into electrically charged species; to be thus dissociated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ionize?
| Letters | 6: I-O-N-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th 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 ionize?
Ionize appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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 ionize?
- /ˈaɪ.ə.naɪz/
Ionize 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-ionize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ionize
- ionizes present, singular, he/she/it
- ionizing participle, present
- ionized participle, past
- ionise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ionize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To dissociate atoms or molecules into electrically charged species; to be thus dissociated.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ionize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to dissociate atoms or molecules into electrically charged species:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ioniser |
| German | ionisieren |
| Portuguese | ionizar |
| Spanish | ionizar |
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 ionize come from?
From ion + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).