Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

streptococcus

/ˌstɹɛptəˈkɑkəs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.53 in modern English

Syllables
strep-to-coc-cus
IPA
/ˌstɹɛptəˈkɑkəs/
21
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
4
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause diseases including strep throat and more serious conditions.

Etymology

Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós, “twisted, pliant”), like a chain. Compare the genus name Streptococcus.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: στρεπτός

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɑkəs/
  • British English: /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/

Inflected Forms

streptococci (plural)

Derived Forms

strep streptokinase

Phrases

strep throat

Frequently Paired Words

coccus streptococcal

Synonyms

strep strepto streptococci streptococcus anhemolyticus

Rhymes With

caucus raucous staphylococcus secaucus enterococcus cryptococcus echinococcus ascococcus cytococcus

Questions

How do you pronounce streptococcus?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɑkəs/.
What does streptococcus mean?
A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause diseases including strep throat and more serious conditions.
Where does streptococcus come from?
It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce streptococcus

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