publicise

/ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz/

//ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz// verb

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

"publicise" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“publicise” is uncommon English (frequency #61,047 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,047
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make widely known to the public.

Corpus desk

Index EN-publicise · publicise · English

publicise · rank #61,047 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,047
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH prolongation

Nearest frequency peer: prolongation (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “publicise”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “publicise” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for publicise
PropertyValue
Headwordpublicise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#61,047
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “publicise” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).publicisefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “prolongation” (#61,044), “rabe” (#61,052), “preserver” (#61,041). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “publicise” is #61,047. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

publicise is uncommon English at frequency #61,047 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

publicise has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From public + -ise. The correct English form is publicise, spelled P-U-B-L-I-C-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make widely known to the public.
  2. 2
    To advertise, create publicity for.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The scandal was so publicised that he lost the next election.
  2. They're already publicising next month's concert.

Etymology

From public + -ise.

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 "publicise"?
"publicise" is spelled P-U-B-L-I-C-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz/.
What does "publicise" mean?
As a verb, "publicise" means: To make widely known to the public.
How do you pronounce "publicise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "publicise" is /ˈpʌblɪˌsaɪz/. 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 "publicise"?
From public + -ise. 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 "publicise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

preserver#61,041refracted#61,061reggaeton#61,062personage#61,023

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list