Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sterilization

/stˌɛɹələzˈeɪʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables
ster-il-iza-tion
IPA
/stˌɛɹələzˈeɪʃən/
22
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The process of treating something to kill or inactivate microorganisms.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

A procedure to permanently prevent an organism from reproducing.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

An instance of a sterilization procedure.

American usage; Countable

noun

A monetary policy operation used to offset a foreign exchange intervention.

American usage; Uncountable

noun

The process of permanently rendering a planet like Earth completely uninhabitable to all life, including even microbes, leading to their complete extinction.

American usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From sterile + -ization or sterilize + -ation.

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce sterilization?
The recorded pronunciation is /stˌɛɹələzˈeɪʃən/.
What does sterilization mean?
The process of treating something to kill or inactivate microorganisms.
Where does sterilization come from?
From sterile + -ization or sterilize + -ation.

How to pronounce sterilization

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sterilization”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/stˌɛɹələzˈeɪʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sterilization”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sterilization” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.