utilize
/ˈjuː.tɪ.laɪz/
"utilize" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“utilize” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,473. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #10,473
- frequency rank, English
- 1,433
- “U” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative spelling of utilise.
Corpus desk
Index EN-utilize · utilize · English
utilize · rank #10,473 · 9 variants · 2 confusables
- FREQ-MID #10,473
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 1,433
- PHOTO-FINISH upwards
Nearest frequency peer: upwards (-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.
Rank peers near misspelling magnet “utilize”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- unreasonable
unreasonable
89,531 corpus weight
- unsure
unsure
89,530 corpus weight
- upwards
upwards
89,529 corpus weight
- utilize
utilize
89,528 corpus weight
- valuation
valuation
89,527 corpus weight
- veterinary
veterinary
89,526 corpus weight
What this shows “utilize” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | utilize |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈjuː.tɪ.laɪz/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #10,473 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “utilize”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around utilize (IPA /ˈjuː.tɪ.laɪz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #10,473 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Alternative spelling of utilise.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for utilize, with forms such as "tuilize", "uitlize", and "utiilze". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "utility", "utilise", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French utiliser, from Italian utilizzare, from utile (“useful”), from Latin ūtilis, from ūtī (“use”). The correct English form is utilize, spelled U-T-I-L-I-Z-E.
Definition
- 1Alternative spelling of utilise.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how utilize appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The scientists utilized advanced technology in their research.
We must utilize our resources more efficiently.
Etymology
From French utiliser, from Italian utilizzare, from utile (“useful”), from Latin ūtilis, from ūtī (“use”).
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- tuilize
- uitlize
- utiilze
- utiliez
- utilizze
- utillize
- utilzie
- utliize
- uttilize
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of utilize - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "utilize"?
What does "utilize" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "utilize"?
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Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "utilize", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).