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sterilize

/ˈstɛɹɪlaɪz/verb

sterilize is spelled S-T-E-R-I-L-I-Z-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, sterilize means “To deprive of the ability to procreate” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in sterilize?

Letters9: S-T-E-R-I-L-I-Z-E
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writingabout once in every 2 million words; the 45,947th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 sterilize?

Sterilize appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,947th 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 sterilize?

  • /ˈstɛɹɪlaɪz/
  • /ˈstɛɹəlaɪz/

Sterilize 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-sterilize.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of sterilize

  • sterilizes present, singular, he/she/it
  • sterilizing participle, present
  • sterilized participle, past
  • sterilise

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sterilize mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

verb

  1. 1

    BritishUSTo deprive of the ability to procreate.

  2. 2

    BritishUSTo make unable to produce; to make unprofitable.

  3. 3

    BritishUSTo kill, deactivate (denature), or destroy (break apart) all living, viable microorganisms and spores on a surface, in a fluid, or contained in a compound, such as culture media or a medical product.

  4. 4

    BritishUSTo render a planet like Earth permanently uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, causing their complete extinction.

  5. 5

    BritishUSTo redact (a document), removing classified or sensitive material.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sterilize in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchstériliser (disable ability to procreate)
Germansterilisieren, kastrieren (disable ability to procreate), entkeimen ((biology) to destroy all spores or germs)
Portugueseesterilizar (disable ability to procreate)
Spanishesterilizar (disable ability to procreate)

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 sterilize come from?

From sterile + -ize.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sterilize