nationalize
/ˈnæʃənəlaɪz/verb
nationalize is spelled N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-Z-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, nationalize means “To make into, or to become, a nation” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in nationalize?
| Letters | 11: N-A-T-I-O-N-A-L-I-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 67,454th 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 nationalize?
Nationalize appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 67,454th 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 nationalize?
- /ˈnæʃənəlaɪz/
Nationalize has 4 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-nationalize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of nationalize
- nationalizes present, singular, he/she/it
- nationalizing participle, present
- nationalized participle, past
- nationalise
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does nationalize mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
BritishUSrareTo make into, or to become, a nation.
- 2
BritishUSTo bring a private company, or an industry comprising such companies, under the control of a specific government.
Near-synonym: socialize
- 3
BritishUSTo bring a concept such as a political issue or commercial campaign to the attention of the entire country.
- 4
BritishUSTo change from having local and regional variation to being national in character and scope.
- 5
BritishUSarchaicTo make national; to make a nation of; to endow with the character and habits of a nation, or the peculiar sentiments and attachment of citizens of a nation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Nationalize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make a private asset public:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | nationaliser |
| German | nationalisieren, verstaatlichen |
| Portuguese | estatizar, nacionalizar |
| Spanish | nacionalizar |
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 nationalize come from?
From French nationaliser. By surface analysis, national + -ize.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).