penalize
/ˈpiː.nəl.aɪz/
"penalize" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“penalize” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #39,951 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #39,951
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To subject to a penalty, especially for the infringement of a rule or regulation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | penalize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈpiː.nəl.aɪz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #39,951 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “penalize” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for penalize is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpiː.nəl.aɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #39,951 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for penalize, with forms such as "epnalize", "peanlize", and "penailze". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From penal + -ize. The correct English form is penalize, spelled P-E-N-A-L-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To subject to a penalty, especially for the infringement of a rule or regulation.
- 2To impose a handicap on.
Etymology
From penal + -ize.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epnalize,peanlize,penailze,penaliez,penalizze,penallize,penalzie,penlaize,pennalize,pnealize,ppenalize
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of penalize - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "penalize"?
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Using “penalize”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-E-N-A-L-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpiː.nəl.aɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.