purify
/ˈpjʊəɹɪfaɪ/verb
purify is spelled P-U-R-I-F-Y: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, purify means “To cleanse, or rid of impurities” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in purify?
| Letters | 6: P-U-R-I-F-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 26,776th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is purify?
Purify appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 26,776th 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 purify?
- UK /ˈpjʊəɹɪfaɪ/
- UK /ˈpjɔːɹɪfaɪ/
- British /ˈpjɵːɹɪfɑj/
Purify has 3 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)-Vealhurl-purify.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of purify
- purifies present, singular, he/she/it
- purifying participle, present
- purified participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does purify mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cleanse, or rid of impurities.
- 2
To free from guilt or sin.
- 3
To become pure.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Purify in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | purifier |
| German | reinigen , rein machen |
| Portuguese | purificar |
| Spanish | purificar, depurar |
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 purify come from?
From Middle English purifien, purifyen, from Old French purifier, purifiier, from Latin pūrificō, pūrificāre, from pūrus (“pure; clean”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).