Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

photosynthesis

/ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.03 in modern English

Syllables: pho-to-syn-the-sis
IPA: /ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

5

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy.

Uncountable

noun

Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis: the ability to convert water and carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and waste oxygen using solar energy."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂os Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος (phắos) Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs) Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-)der. English photo- English synthesis English photosynthesis From photo- + synthesis.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/
British English: /ˌfəʊ.təʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/

Usage

Uncountable

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Chemistry.

Inflected Forms

photosyntheses (plural)

Derived Forms

photosynthate photosynthetron

Phrases

alarm photosynthesis anoxygenic photosynthesis C2 photosynthesis C3 photosynthesis C4 photosynthesis CAM photosynthesis

Frequently Paired Words

photosynthesise photosynthesize photosynthetic photosynthetically chemosynthesis

Questions

How do you pronounce photosynthesis?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/.
What does photosynthesis mean?: Any process by which plants and other photoautotrophs convert light energy into chemical energy.
Where does photosynthesis come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰéh₂os Proto-Hellenic *pʰáwos Ancient Greek φᾰ́ος (phắos) Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs) Ancient Greek φωτο- (phōto-)der. English photo- English synthesis English photosynthesis From photo- + synthesis.

How to pronounce photosynthesis

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “photosynthesis”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌfoʊ.toʊˈsɪn.θə.sɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “photosynthesis” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.