The suffix -ize turns nouns and adjectives into verbs that mean “to make” or “to become.” When you add it to a word, you create an action.

Take final. Add -ize and you get finalize, meaning to make something final. Modern becomes modernize, to make something modern. Memory becomes memorize, to commit something to memory. You can organize your desk (make it organized), customize your bike (make it custom to your preferences), or apologize when you've made a mistake (make an apology).

Sometimes -ize means “to become”: when water vaporizes, it becomes vapor. When you realize something, an idea becomes real or clear in your mind.

Scientists and inventors especially love creating new -ize words to describe new processes. When you digitize old photos, you're making them digital. When doctors sterilize equipment, they're making it sterile and germ-free.

Watch for related endings: -ization turns these verbs into nouns (organization, realization), and -ized creates adjectives (organized, modernized). Once you recognize this pattern, you'll spot it everywhere and understand hundreds of words you've never seen before.