How to spell criticize
criticize
Criticize is spelled C-R-I-T-I-C-I-Z-E.
Not critisize.
Also accepted: criticise.
Why is criticize easy to misspell?
The word criticize is critic plus -ize, and the misspelling critisize writes an S where critic has a C. Before the I, that C is soft and sounds like an S.
That spelling matches the sound exactly, which is why it looked right. English keeps letters long after the sound has moved on, so the conventional spelling is often the one that looks least like it sounds.
critic + ize
What does criticize mean?
verb. To indicate the faults of (someone or something) in a disapproving way.
Which other words set the same trap?
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