palatalization
/ˌpælətəlɪˈzeɪʃən/noun
palatalization is spelled P-A-L-A-T-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N: 14 letters. It appears about once in every 34 million words in written English, the 178,202nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, palatalization means “The state or quality of being palatalized, of pronouncing a sound with the tongue against the palate of the mouth that normally is not” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of palatalization is palatalizations.
How many letters and syllables are in palatalization?
| Letters | 14: P-A-L-A-T-A-L-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 34 million words; the 178,202nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is palatalization?
Palatalization appears about once in every 34 million words in written English, the 178,202nd 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 palatalization?
- UK /ˌpælətəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
- US /ˌpælətəlɪˈzeɪʃən/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-palatalization.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with palatalization?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as palatalization from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of palatalization
- palatalizations plural
- palatalisation
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does palatalization mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state or quality of being palatalized, of pronouncing a sound with the tongue against the palate of the mouth that normally is not.
The word "nature" is commonly pronounced with a palatalization of the letter t to sound like ch.
- 2
An instance of pronunciation in which a sound is palatalized.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Palatalization in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | palatalisation |
| Portuguese | palatalização, palatização |
| Spanish | palatalización |
| German | Palatalisierung |
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.