Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

electron

/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.82 in modern English

Syllables
elec-tron
IPA
/ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.

noun

Alloys of magnesium and other metals, like aluminum or zinc, that were manufactured by the German company Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron⁽ᵈᵉ⁾.

Obsolete

Etymology

Blend of electric + ion, coined by Anglo-Irish scientist George Stoney in 1891, changed by him multiple times from an earlier electrolion and original electrine (used as early as 1874) as the name for the electric charge associated with a univalent ion. Compare electro-, -on. The particle ("corpuscule") was discovered in 1896. The name electrion was proposed for the particle in 1906 but curtailed because Hendrik Lorentz preferred electron.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/
  • British English: /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɒn/

Usage

Inflected Forms

electrons (plural) electrion (alternative)

Derived Forms

antielectron coelectron cryoelectron dielectron electride electrino electronation electronize electronlike electronogram immunoelectron interelectron

Phrases

Auger electron Auger electron spectroscopy Bloch electron cryo-electron microscopy cryo-transmission electron microscopy electron affinity electron avalanche electron beam

Frequently Paired Words

electronic electronics proton p neutron n nucleon baryon

Synonyms

e negatron

Rhymes With

on one time on got it going on john son won gone upon build on none sir john

Questions

How do you pronounce electron?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɪˈlɛk.tɹɑn/.
What does electron mean?
The subatomic particle having a negative charge and orbiting the nucleus; the flow of electrons in a conductor constitutes electricity.
Where does electron come from?
Blend of electric + ion, coined by Anglo-Irish scientist George Stoney in 1891, changed by him multiple times from an earlier electrolion and original electrine (used as early as 1874) as the name for the electric charge associated with a univalent ion. Compare electro-, -on. The particle ("corpuscule") was discovered in 1896. The name electrion was proposed for the particle in 1906 but curtailed because Hendrik Lorentz preferred electron.

How to pronounce electron

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