privatization
/ˌpɹaɪvətaɪˈzeɪʃən/noun
privatization is spelled P-R-I-V-A-T-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “privatisation vs privatization” about 10 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, privatization means “The transfer of a company or organization from government to private ownership and control” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of privatization is privatizations.
How many letters and syllables are in privatization?
| Letters | 13: P-R-I-V-A-T-I-Z-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.9 times per million words; the 20,356th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is privatization?
Privatization appears 1.9 times per million words in written English, the 20,356th 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 privatization?
- UK /ˌpɹaɪvɪtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/
- US /ˌpɹaɪvətaɪˈzeɪʃən/
Privatization has 5 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)-Sapaa-privatization.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with privatization
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: privatisation.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with privatization?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as privatization 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 privatization
- privatizations plural
- privatisation
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does privatization mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
BritishUSThe transfer of a company or organization from government to private ownership and control.
Coordinate term: denationalization
- 2
BritishUSThe rendering of a thought or an idea, as private in scope.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Privatization in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense transfer from the government to private ownership:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | privatisation |
| German | Privatisierung |
| Portuguese | privatização |
| Spanish | privatización |
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 privatization come from?
Calque of German Privatisierung (with English -ation), derived from Latin prīvātus (“apart from the state; private”), with reference to post-First World War German economic principles. Popularized by Sidney Merlin in 1943, who was aware of the term reprivatization (used in similar contexts), already attested at the time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What to look up after privatization
- privatisation or privatization? the difference
- situation rhymes with privatization
- association rhymes with privatization
- privative the entry before
- privatize the entry after
- English words starting with P the most written first
- Misspellings people search
- Count the syllables of any word
- Check the spelling of a text