Drosophila

[dʁoˈzoːfila]

/[dʁoˈzoːfila]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Drosophila” is an uncommon German word, ranked #85,140 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#85,140
frequency rank, German
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Gattung der Taufliegen

Key facts for Drosophila
PropertyValue
HeadwordDrosophila
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[dʁoˈzoːfila]
Letters10
Frequency rank#85,140
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Drosophila” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Drosophila lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Drosophila is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [dʁoˈzoːfila]. Corpus data places it at rank #85,140 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "eine Gattung der Taufliegen".

No misspelling variants are generated for Drosophila in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is Drosophila, spelled D-R-O-S-O-P-H-I-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine Gattung der Taufliegen

Synonyms

Drosophila melanogasterEssigfliegeFruchtfliege

This word in other languages

drosophila(English)drosophile(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Drosophila"?
"Drosophila" is spelled D-R-O-S-O-P-H-I-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is [dʁoˈzoːfila].
What does "Drosophila" mean?
As a noun, "Drosophila" means: eine Gattung der Taufliegen
How do you pronounce "Drosophila"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Drosophila" is [dʁoˈzoːfila]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Drosophila" come from?
"Drosophila" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Drosophila”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is D-R-O-S-O-P-H-I-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [dʁoˈzoːfila] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list