Basic Details
Word: Realized
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Became aware of something, or made a hope or plan come true. It is the past tense of realize.
Synonyms: understood, noticed, grasped, achieved
How to Spell Realized
Syllables: re - al - ized
Tricky part: Students often squeeze out the a and write relized, because the word is said quickly. It is re-al-ized, with real at the front.
Watch out for: relized, realizd, reelized
Memory tip: Spot the word real at the start; realize already ends in e, so the past tense just adds d.
Usage Examples
Example 1: Kiran realized her phone was still on the bus.
Example 2: The team realized its goal of reaching the finals.
Example 3: We realized too late that the shop closed at six.
Fun Fact
Oxford University Press uses the -ize ending in its house style, known as Oxford spelling, so realized is fully correct in British English as well.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Halfway up the hill, the hikers relized that they had left their water bottles in the jeep at the base camp.
a) relized
b) halfway
c) hikers
d) bottles
Show answer
a) relized. The a of real has dropped out; the correct word is realized.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the meaning of the correctly spelt word:
1. critisized 2. apologysed 3. emphesized 4. realized
a) said sorry for something
b) gave special importance to something
c) pointed out the faults of something
d) became aware of something
Show answer
d) became aware of something. Apologised has an i before the s, criticized has a c in the middle, and emphasized has an a after the ph.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word 'realized' as used in the sentence:
After years of saving, the villagers finally realized their dream of a school with a proper library.
a) delayed
b) achieved
c) forgot
d) abandoned
Show answer
b) achieved. Here realized means made the dream come true, which is what achieved says.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 'She realized the door was locked' means she ____.
a) locked it herself
b) became aware of it
c) forgot the key
d) broke the lock
Show answer
b) became aware of it
2. Realised and realized are ____.
a) used only in poems
b) both misspellings
c) two different words
d) both correct spellings
Show answer
d) both correct spellings
