Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bio-

/ˈbaɪˌoʊ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.07 in modern English

Syllables: bio-
IPA: /ˈbaɪˌoʊ/

5

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

2

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

Combining form of life.

prefix

Combining form of biological.

Example Sentences

"biochild; biodad; biofamily; biofather; biokid; biomom; biomother; bioparent; biosib; biosibling; bioson"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷeyh₃-der. Ancient Greek βῐ́ος (bĭ́os) Ancient Greek βῐο- (bĭo-)der. English bio- From Ancient Greek βιο- (bio-), combining form and stem of βίος (bíos, “life”). By surface analysis, bi- (“life”) + -o-.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: *gʷeyh₃-, βιο-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈbaɪˌoʊ/
British English: /ˈbaɪˌəʊ/

Derived Forms

abiotic antibiotic probiotic symbiosis

Phrases

zoo-

Frequently Paired Words

biota zoo-

Antonyms

thanato-

Questions

How do you pronounce bio-?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbaɪˌoʊ/.
What does bio- mean?: Combining form of life.
Where does bio- come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce bio-

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