sanitize
/ˈsænətaɪz/
"sanitize" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sanitize” is an uncommon English word, ranked #58,335 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #58,335
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To rid of microorganisms by cleaning or disinfecting.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sanitize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈsænətaɪz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #58,335 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sanitize” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for sanitize is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsænətaɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #58,335 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for sanitize in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From sanitary. By surface analysis, sanity + -ize. The correct English form is sanitize, spelled S-A-N-I-T-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1To rid of microorganisms by cleaning or disinfecting.
- 2To make something, such as a dramatic work, more acceptable by removing potentially offensive material.
- 3To filter (text) to ensure it does not contain any characters that will cause problems for or be interpreted in an adverse way by the receiving system.
- 4To remove sensitive or personal data from (a database or file).
- 5To revise (a document) in order to prevent identification of the sources.
Etymology
From sanitary. By surface analysis, sanity + -ize.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “sanitize”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-A-N-I-T-I-Z-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsænətaɪz/ (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.