Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

noctiluca

/ˌnɑk.tɪˈlu.kə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.37 in modern English

Syllables: noc-ti-lu-ca
IPA: /ˌnɑk.tɪˈlu.kə/

13

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A firefly, glowworm.

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

The moon

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

A phosphorescent substance

Countable; Obsolete; Uncountable

noun

Noctiluca scintillans (sea sparkle).

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"If a number of noctilucas are punctured with a needle, causing the cells to collapse, and are then subjected to an interrupted current, they respond just as uninjured cells do."

Etymology

From Latin noctilūca.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: noctiluca

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌnɑk.tɪˈlu.kə/
British English: /ˌnɒk.tɪˈluː.kə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

noctilucae (plural) noctilucas (plural)

Derived Forms

noctilucal noctilucan

Phrases

icy noctiluca

Synonyms

noctiluca miliaris

Questions

How do you pronounce noctiluca?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌnɑk.tɪˈlu.kə/.
What does noctiluca mean?: A firefly, glowworm.
Where does noctiluca come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce noctiluca

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