Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

alanine

/ˈæləniːn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.51 in modern English

Syllables
ala-nine
IPA
/ˈæləniːn/
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A nonessential amino acid 2-aminopropanoic acid found in most animal proteins

Uncountable

noun

A specific residue, molecule, or isomer of this amino acid

Countable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From aldehyde + -anine, in reference to aldehyde, with the infix -an- for ease of pronunciation, when the German chemist Adolph Strecker first synthesized alanine in 1850 by mixing acetaldehyde (then just known as aldehyde) with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid.

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce alanine?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæləniːn/.
What does alanine mean?
A nonessential amino acid 2-aminopropanoic acid found in most animal proteins
Where does alanine come from?
From aldehyde + -anine, in reference to aldehyde, with the infix -an- for ease of pronunciation, when the German chemist Adolph Strecker first synthesized alanine in 1850 by mixing acetaldehyde (then just known as aldehyde) with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and hydrochloric acid.

How to pronounce alanine

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