politicize

/pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz/

//pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz// verb

"politicize" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“politicize” is uncommon English (frequency #71,802 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,802
frequency rank, English
46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To engage in or discuss politics.

Corpus desk

Index EN-politicize · politicize · English

politicize · rank #71,802 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,802
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 46,516
  • PHOTO-FINISH polycyclic

Nearest frequency peer: polycyclic (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “politicize”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “politicize” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for politicize
PropertyValue
Headwordpoliticize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz/
Letters10
Frequency rank#71,802
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “politicize” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). politicize lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

politicize is uncommon English at frequency #71,802 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for politicize in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From politic + -ize. The correct English form is politicize, spelled P-O-L-I-T-I-C-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To engage in or discuss politics.
  2. 2
    To give something political characteristics; to turn into a political issue.
  3. 3
    To make someone politically active or aware.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how politicize appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. My parents started politicizing the weather as soon as they opened their snowplow business.
  2. The possibility of setting up an educational arm which could politicize gays in Massachusetts through a series of seminars and through the publication of a booklet providing a background on the history of gay rights.

Etymology

From politic + -ize.

Synonyms

Antonyms

This word in other languages

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "politicize"?
"politicize" is spelled P-O-L-I-T-I-C-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz/.
What does "politicize" mean?
As a verb, "politicize" means: To engage in or discuss politics.
How do you pronounce "politicize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "politicize" is /pəˈlɪtɪˌsaɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "politicize"?
From politic + -ize. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "politicize", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list