Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

extremophile

/ɛkˈʃtɹiməˌfaɪ̯əl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.16 in modern English

Syllables: ex-tremophile
IPA: /ɛkˈʃtɹiməˌfaɪ̯əl/

26

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of many organisms that live under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, salinity, etc; many are autotrophs; some are commercially important as a source of enzymes that operate under similar conditions.

Example Sentences

"They had found the world's first extremophiles – organisms that could live in water that had previously been assumed to be much too hot or acid or choked with sulphur to bear life."
"Lichens are 'extremophiles', organisms able to live, from our point of view, in other worlds."

Etymology

Etymology tree English extreme Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- Proto-Indo-European *bʰil- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰil-o-s Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos)bor. Latin -philalbor. English -phile English extremophile From extreme + -o- + -phile.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɛkˈʃtɹiməˌfaɪ̯əl/

Inflected Forms

extremophiles (plural)

Derived Forms

extremophilic hyperextremophile

Frequently Paired Words

mesophile

Questions

How do you pronounce extremophile?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɛkˈʃtɹiməˌfaɪ̯əl/.
What does extremophile mean?: Any of many organisms that live under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, salinity, etc; many are autotrophs; some are commercially important as a source of enzymes that operate under similar conditions.
Where does extremophile come from?: Etymology tree English extreme Ancient Greek -ο- (-o-)der. Latin -o-bor. English -o- Proto-Indo-European *bʰil- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *bʰil-o-s Ancient Greek φίλος (phílos)bor. Latin -philalbor. English -phile English extremophile From extreme + -o- + -phile.

How to pronounce extremophile

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