sanctify

/ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ/

//ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ// verb

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

"sanctify" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sanctify” is uncommon English (frequency #61,787 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,787
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make holy; to consecrate; to set aside for sacred or ceremonial use.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sanctify · sanctify · English

sanctify · rank #61,787 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,787
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sameness

Nearest frequency peer: sameness (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “sanctify”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sanctify
PropertyValue
Headwordsanctify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#61,787
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sanctify” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “sameness” (#61,786), “satiated” (#61,788), “Sainz” (#61,785). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sanctify” is #61,787. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sanctify is uncommon English at frequency #61,787 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for sanctify in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman seintefier, from Old French saintefier, from Late Latin sānctificō, from Latin sānctus (“holy”) + faciō (“do, make”). Form altered to conform with Latin. The correct English form is sanctify, spelled S-A-N-C-T-I-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make holy; to consecrate; to set aside for sacred or ceremonial use.
  2. 2
    To free from sin; to purify.
  3. 3
    To make acceptable or useful under religious law or practice.
  4. 4
    To endorse with religious sanction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
  2. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman seintefier, from Old French saintefier, from Late Latin sānctificō, from Latin sānctus (“holy”) + faciō (“do, make”). Form altered to conform with Latin.

Synonyms

consecratehallowconsecratecleansepurify

Antonyms

profanedesecrate

This word in other languages

santificar(Español)consacrer(Français)heiligen(Deutsch)santificar(Português)

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 "sanctify"?
"sanctify" is spelled S-A-N-C-T-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ/.
What does "sanctify" mean?
As a verb, "sanctify" means: To make holy; to consecrate; to set aside for sacred or ceremonial use.
How do you pronounce "sanctify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sanctify" is /ˈsæŋk.tɪ.faɪ/. 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 "sanctify"?
From Anglo-Norman seintefier, from Old French saintefier, from Late Latin sānctificō, from Latin sānctus (“holy”) + faciō (“do, make”). Form altered to conform with Latin. 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 "sanctify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sameness#61,786satiated#61,788sayonara#61,793Simonson#61,817

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list