transform

The word “transform” means to change something greatly in appearance, nature, or character. In plain terms, to change something so completely it becomes almost unrecognisable.

“Transform” is pronounced trans-FAWM (/tɹænsˈfɔɹm/ in IPA).

Here is “transform” used in a sentence: “The renovation transformed the old warehouse into a bright studio.”

“Transform” is a verb.

The word “transform” comes from Latin. From Old French "transformer," from Latin "transformare" — "trans-" ("across") plus "forma" ("form").

“Transform” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

Change is the general word for making or becoming different in any way, however small. Transform implies a thorough or dramatic change in appearance, nature, or character: a room is changed by new curtains but transformed by a full renovation.

Convert usually means switching something from one defined form, use, or system to another — converting currency, or converting a loft into a bedroom — and the underlying thing stays recognizable. Transform stresses a deep or striking change in nature or appearance, after which the original may be hard to recognize.

Standard usage is transform into when naming the result: "The caterpillar transforms into a butterfly." "Transform to" is uncommon in everyday English and mostly confined to technical writing, so into is the safe choice.

The everyday noun is transformation: "the transformation of the city center." In mathematics and signal processing, transform itself serves as a noun (a Fourier transform), but outside technical fields transformation is the form to use.