vocalize

American  

[voh-kuh-lahyz] / ˈvoʊ kəˌlaɪz /

especially British, vocalise

verb (used with object)

vocalized, vocalizing

1. to make vocal; utter; articulate; sing.

2. to endow with a voice; cause to utter.

3. Phonetics.

   1. to voice.

   2. to change into a vowel (contrasted with consonantalize).

4. (of Hebrew, Arabic, and other writing systems that do not usually indicate vowels) to furnish with vowels or vowel points.

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verb (used without object)

vocalized, vocalizing

1. to use the voice, as in speech or song.

2. to sing without uttering words, especially to warm up the voice, practice vowel sounds, etc., before a performance.

3. to sing scales, arpeggios, trills, or the like, usually to a solmization syllable or a vowel sound.

4. Phonetics. to become changed into a vowel.

vocalize British  

/ ˈvəʊkəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to express with or use the voice; articulate (a speech, song, etc)

2. (tr) to make vocal or articulate

3. (tr) phonetics

   1. to articulate (a speech sound) with voice

   2. to change (a consonant) into a vowel

4. another word for vowelize

5. (intr) to sing a melody on a vowel, etc

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Other Word Forms

• misvocalization
  noun
• nonvocalization
  noun
• subvocalize
  verb
• unvocalized
  adjective
• vocalization
  noun
• vocalizer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of vocalize

First recorded in 1660–70; vocal + -ize

Explanation

When you speak, sing, or utter any kind of sound, you vocalize. A tiny baby can only vocalize gurgles and coos, but by the time she's three or four, she'll vocalize all kinds of opinions. Vocalize literally means to make a noise using your voice — in fact, vocalize is rooted in the Latin root word for "voice," vox. It's nearly a synonym for verbalize, "put into words," except that when you vocalize you may speak using words or you may merely make noises. So while your dog is smart enough to vocalize a response when you say, "Speak," he's still not smart enough to verbalize.

Example Sentences

But I could not vocalize a single word.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

They also vocalize to tell their chicks they are back at the nest with food and, seemingly, to cheer on their babies when they’re learning to fly.

From Salon • Oct. 20, 2024

“So, I went up on my medicine and I see my therapist. I try to see her every Wednesday, and I try to vocalize a lot when I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024

Research has shown that cats meow primarily when in the presence of humans, suggesting that we can’t help but skew the app’s inputs, while some cats rarely vocalize at all.

From Slate • Nov. 13, 2023

We miss him terribly and Geak, being so young, is the only one able to vocalize our loneliness, by continuing to ask for Pa. I am afraid for Geak.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung