reification

/ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/

//ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən// noun

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

"reification" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reification” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The consideration of an abstract thing as if it were concrete, or of an inanimate object as if it were living.

Key facts for reification
PropertyValue
Headwordreification
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “reification” sits in English frequency

reification falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

reification is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for reification, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested around 1846; a macaronic calque of German Verdinglichung, using -ification (“making”) for ver- + -lich + -ung, and Latin rēs (“thing”) for Ding (“thing”) The correct English form is reification, spelled R-E-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The consideration of an abstract thing as if it were concrete, or of an inanimate object as if it were living.
  2. 2
    The consideration of a human being as an impersonal object.
  3. 3
    A process that makes a computable/addressable object out of a non-computable/addressable one; or a concrete class out of a generic one.
  4. 4
    The transformation of a natural-language statement into a form in which its actions and events are quantifiable variables.

Etymology

First attested around 1846; a macaronic calque of German Verdinglichung, using -ification (“making”) for ver- + -lich + -ung, and Latin rēs (“thing”) for Ding (“thing”)

Synonyms

hypostatizationmaterializationobjectificationpathetic fallacythingification

This word in other languages

cosificación(Español)réification(Français)Reifikation(Deutsch)reificação(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "reification"?
"reification" is spelled R-E-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/.
What does "reification" mean?
As a noun, "reification" means: The consideration of an abstract thing as if it were concrete, or of an inanimate object as if it were living.
How do you pronounce "reification"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reification" is /ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/. 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 "reification"?
First attested around 1846; a macaronic calque of German Verdinglichung, using -ification (“making”) for ver- + -lich + -ung, and Latin rēs (“thing”) for Ding (“thing”) 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.

Using “reification”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-I-F-I-C-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɹeɪəfəˈkeɪʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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