paralyze
/ˈpæɹəˌlaɪz/verb
paralyze is spelled P-A-R-A-L-Y-Z-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, paralyze means “To afflict with paralysis” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in paralyze?
| Letters | 8: P-A-R-A-L-Y-Z-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,209th 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 paralyze?
Paralyze appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,209th 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 paralyze?
- UK /ˈpæɹəlaɪz/
- US /ˈpæɹəˌlaɪz/
- /ˈpɛɹəˌlaɪz/
Paralyze 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-paralyze.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Fake_estate-paralyze.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of paralyze
- paralyzes present, singular, he/she/it
- paralyzing participle, present
- paralyzed participle, past
- paralyse
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does paralyze mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To afflict with paralysis.
- 2
To render unable to move; to immobilize.
- 3
To render unable to function properly.
The transport strike paralyzed the city.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Paralyze in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to afflict with paralysis:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | paralyser |
| German | paralysieren, lähmen |
| Portuguese | paralisar |
| Spanish | paralizar |
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 paralyze come from?
Partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly either (i) formed within English, by derivation. Or partly (ii) a borrowing from French, combined with an English element. Etymons: Middle English paralysie, -ize suffix; French paralyser.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).