Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

neutron

/ˈnu.tɹɑn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
neu-tron
IPA
/ˈnu.tɹɑn/
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and having no charge; it is a combination of an up quark and two down quarks.

Etymology

From neutral + -on; by surface analysis, neutr(o)- + -on. Coined by Scottish-Australian physicist William Sutherland in 1899 in a paper in the Philosophical Magazine. Subsequent usage was sporadic and theoretical, sometimes referring to neutrinos rather than neutrons, and the modern sense was reintroduced alongside proton by Ernest Rutherford in 1920.

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈnu.tɹɑn/
  • British English: /ˈn(j)uː.tɹɒn/

Inflected Forms

neutrons (plural)

Derived Forms

antineutron dineutron multineutron neutronic neutronics neutronium neutronization photoneutron quasineutron tetraneutron trineutron

Phrases

anti-neutron delayed neutron fast-neutron reactor free neutron neutron activation analysis neutron bomb neutron capture neutron cross section

Frequently Paired Words

neutrino proton p electron e

Synonyms

n

Questions

How do you pronounce neutron?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈnu.tɹɑn/.
What does neutron mean?
A subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and having no charge; it is a combination of an up quark and two down quarks.
Where does neutron come from?
From neutral + -on; by surface analysis, neutr(o)- + -on. Coined by Scottish-Australian physicist William Sutherland in 1899 in a paper in the Philosophical Magazine. Subsequent usage was sporadic and theoretical, sometimes referring to neutrinos rather than neutrons, and the modern sense was reintroduced alongside proton by Ernest Rutherford in 1920.

How to pronounce neutron

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