Improve your Vocabulary: Learn hundreds of words with the suffixes -ize & -ization

 Improve your Vocabulary: Learn hundreds of words with the suffixes -ize & -ization

Want to expand your English vocabulary? Prefixes and suffixes are powerful shortcuts to achieving your goal. A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word, and a suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word. Both prefixes and suffixes (known collectively as affixes) can reveal or modify the meaning of a word.

The two suffixes shown below are particularly impressive! They can be added to hundreds of everyday adjectives and nouns to create advanced verbs and nouns. Here’s what to do. Don’t try to learn all the words. Understand the principle, and highlight the words you’re most likely to need. Then, start using them while speaking or writing. Including such precise words in your IELTS/TOEFL/PTE exam, professional resume, job interview, client meeting, or business email can dramatically increase your chances of academic and professional success.

1. Verb Suffix: -ize (US) or -ise (UK)

• makes a word into a verb
• usually means to make

2. Compound Noun Suffix: -ization (US) or -isation (UK)

• makes a word into a noun
• usually refers to the act of making or a state of being

Examples:

We must make the hotel more modern.
We need to modernize the hotel.
The modernization of the hotel is essential.

VOCABULARY
BASE WORD	VERB	NOUN
actual	actualize	actualization
alphabet	alphabetize	alphabetization
authority	authorize	authorization
capital	capitalize	capitalization
category	categorize	categorization
character	characterize	characterization
civil	civilize	civilization
colony	colonize	colonization
commercial	commercialize	commercialization
computer	computerize	computerization
concept	conceptualize	conceptualization
criminal	criminalize	criminalization
crystal	crystalize	crystallization
department	departmentalize	departmentalization
democracy	democratize	democratization
demon	demonize	demonization
economy	economize	economization
emotional	emotionalize	emotionalization
energy	energize	energization
equal	equalize	equalization
external	externalize	externalization
familiar	familiarize	familiarization
fertile	fertilize	fertilization
fiction	fictionalize	fictionalization
final	finalize	finalization
formal	formalize	formalization
fraternity	fraternize	fraternization
general	generalize	generalization
glamour	glamorize	glamorization
global	globalize	globalization
hospital	hospitalize	hospitalization
human	humanize	humanization
hypnosis	hypnotize	hypnotization
ideal	idealize	idealization
idol	idolize	idolization
illegal	illegalize	illegalization
immune	immunize	immunization
incentive	incentivize	incentivization
individual	individualize	individualization
initial	initialize	initialization
institution	institutionalize	institutionalization
intellectual	intellectualize	intellectualization
internal	internalize	internalization
international	internationalize	internationalization
italics	italicize	italicization
jeopardy	jeopardize	jeopardization
legal	legalize	legalization
legitimate	legitimatize	legitimization
liberal	liberalize	liberalization
local	localize	localization
magnet	magnetize	magnetization
margin	marginalize	marginalization
mechanics	mechanize	mechanization
memory	memorize	memorization
minimum	minimize	minimization
miniature	miniaturize	miniaturization
maximum	maximize	maximization
mobile	mobilize	mobilization
modern	modernize	modernization
moisture	moisturize	moisturization
monopoly	monopolize	monopolization
monetary	monetize	monetization
notary	notarize	motorization
national	nationalize	nationalization
normal	normalize	normalization
notary	notarize	notarization
organized	organize	organization
optimal	optimize	optimization
patron	patronize	patronization
penal	penalize	penalization
personal	personalize	personalization
polar	polarize	polarization
political	politicize	politicization
popular	popularize	popularization
priority	prioritize	prioritization
private	privatize	privatization
rational	rationalize	rationalization
random	randomize	randomization
scandal	scandalize	scandalization
secular	secularize	secularization
sensitive	sensitize	sensitization
serial	serialize	serialization
sexual	sexualize	sexualization
social	socialize	socialization
special	specialize	specialization
stable	stabilize	stabilization
sterile	sterilize	sterilization
subsidy	subsidize	subsidization
symbol	symbolize	symbolization
terror	terrorize	terrorization
tranquil	tranquilize	tranquilization
trauma	traumatize	traumatization
union	unionize	unionization
urban	urbanize	urbanization
vandal	vandalize	vandalization
verbal	verbalize	verbalization
victim	victimize	victimization
visual	visualize	visualization
vital	vitalize	vitalization
western	westernize	westernization

Note: American spelling has been used in the examples and chart above.