prioritize

/pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/

//pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“prioritize” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,424. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,424
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To value, do, or choose something first, or before other things.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prioritize · prioritize · English

prioritize · rank #19,424 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,424
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH proprietor

Nearest frequency peer: proprietor (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “prioritize”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “prioritize” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

prioritize vs priorities
80% similar
prioritize vs prioritise
90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for prioritize
PropertyValue
Headwordprioritize
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,424
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “prioritize”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “proprietor” (#19,425), “prematurely” (#19,422), “Putnam” (#19,426). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “prioritize” is #19,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around prioritize (IPA /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,424 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for prioritize, with forms such as "piroritize", "pprioritize", and "prioirtize". 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 also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "priorities", "prioritise", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From priority + -ize. First attested in 1967 as U.S. government jargon, becoming more widespread through the 1970s and ’80s, but still denounced as officialese by purists into the 1990s. The correct English form is prioritize, spelled P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-Z-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To value, do, or choose something first, or before other things.
  2. 2
    To arrange or list a group of things in order of priority or importance.
  3. 3
    To rank something as having high priority.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When I don't have time to buy everything at the store, I prioritize fresh fruit and vegetables over foods like rice or noodles.
  2. Boeing's article stressed prioritizing roll control during recovery from nose-down bank upsets unless the airplane was in a stall condition; if the airplane was stalled, Boeing recommended recovering from the stall before recovering from the upset. The article described the nose-down upset recovery technique as follows: "Reduce angle of attack. This unloa…

Etymology

From priority + -ize. First attested in 1967 as U.S. government jargon, becoming more widespread through the 1970s and ’80s, but still denounced as officialese by purists into the 1990s.

Antonyms

marginalize

This word in other languages

priorizar(Español)prioriser(Français)priorisieren(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • piroritize
  • pprioritize
  • prioirtize
  • prioriitze
  • prioritiez
  • prioritizze
  • priorittize
  • prioritzie
  • priorritize
  • priortiize
  • priroitize
  • proiritize
  • prrioritize
  • rpioritize

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of prioritize - 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.

piroritize2pprioritize1prioirtize2prioriitze2prioritiez2prioritizze1priorittize1prioritzie2
Edit distance from "prioritize"

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 "prioritize"?
"prioritize" is spelled P-R-I-O-R-I-T-I-Z-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/.
What does "prioritize" mean?
As a verb, "prioritize" means: To value, do, or choose something first, or before other things.
What words are commonly confused with "prioritize"?
"prioritize" is commonly confused with "priorities", "prioritise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "prioritize"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prioritize" is /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/. 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 "prioritize"?
From priority + -ize. First attested in 1967 as U.S. government jargon, becoming more widespread through the 1970s and ’80s, but still denounced as officialese by purists into the 1990s. 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 "prioritize", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

proprietor#19,425resurgence#19,437shattering#19,456silhouette#19,464

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

patriarch14 variantssickening14 variantsintimidate14 variantsillustrious14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list