Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spermatozoon

/ˌspɜːmətə(ʊ)ˈzəʊɒn/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.35 in modern English

Syllables: sper-ma-to-zoon
IPA: /ˌspɜːmətə(ʊ)ˈzəʊɒn/

25

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A reproductive cell or gamete of a male, carried in semen, that fertilizes an ovum to produce a zygote.

Example Sentences

"But let us suppose [...] that one hardy or lucky spermatozoon has reached the waiting egg."
"A sperm, or spermatozoa, is the microscopic male reproductive cell. Sperms are made up of oval-shaped heads and long tails that they use for mobility."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σπέρμα (spérma, “sperm”) + ζῷον (zōîon, “living thing”), equivalent to spermato- + -zoon.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: -

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˌspɜːmətə(ʊ)ˈzəʊɒn/

Inflected Forms

spermatozoa (plural) spermatozoön (alternative) spermatozoan (alternative)

Derived Forms

spermatozoal spermatozoic

Frequently Paired Words

ovum

Synonyms

sperm cell zoosperm sperm spermatozoan

Questions

How do you pronounce spermatozoon?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌspɜːmətə(ʊ)ˈzəʊɒn/.
What does spermatozoon mean?: A reproductive cell or gamete of a male, carried in semen, that fertilizes an ovum to produce a zygote.
Where does spermatozoon come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce spermatozoon

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “spermatozoon”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌspɜːmətə(ʊ)ˈzəʊɒn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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