Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

decriminalise

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.67 in modern English

Syllables: de-crim-i-nalise
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of decriminalize.

British usage

Example Sentences

"Nauru has reformed its criminal code, decriminalising homosexuality and suicide."
"Vladimir Putin has signed into law a controversial amendment that decriminalises some forms of domestic violence."
"Celebrations have erupted in India after the supreme court unanimously ruled to decriminalise homosexual sex in a landmark judgment for gay rights."
"Ghana is one of four countries to have decriminalised suicide in the past year – Malaysia, Guyana and Pakistan are the others."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English criminalise English decriminalise From de- + criminalise.

Usage

British usage

Inflected Forms

decriminalises (present, singular) decriminalising (participle, present) decriminalised (participle, past) decriminalised (past)

Synonyms

legalize legalise decriminalize legitimize legitimise legitimate legitimatize legitimatise

Questions

What does decriminalise mean?: Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of decriminalize.
Where does decriminalise come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *de Proto-Indo-European *-h₁ Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ Proto-Italic *dē Latin dē Latin dē-der. English de- English criminalise English decriminalise From de- + criminalise.

How to pronounce decriminalise

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