anaphylaxis
/ˌænəfɪˈlæksɪs/noun
anaphylaxis is spelled A-N-A-P-H-Y-L-A-X-I-S: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, anaphylaxis means “Extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of anaphylaxis is anaphylaxes.
How many letters and syllables are in anaphylaxis?
| Letters | 11: A-N-A-P-H-Y-L-A-X-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce anaphylaxis?
- US /ˌænəfɪˈlæksɪs/
Anaphylaxis has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-anaphylaxis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with anaphylaxis?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as anaphylaxis from its last stressed vowel (/æksɪs/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of anaphylaxis
- anaphylaxes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does anaphylaxis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Extreme sensitivity to a substance such as a foreign protein or drug.
- 2
A severe and rapid systemic allergic reaction to an allergen, causing a constriction of the trachea, preventing breathing; anaphylactic shock.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Anaphylaxis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Anaphylaxie |
| Spanish | anafilaxia |
| French | anaphylaxie |
| Portuguese | anafilaxia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does anaphylaxis come from?
Borrowed from French anaphylaxie, coined by French physiologist and parapsychologist Charles Richet and French zoologist Paul Portier from the Ancient Greek ᾰ̓νᾰ- (ănă-, “(intensifier) thoroughly”) from ᾰ̓νᾰ́ (ănắ, “to, again, upon”) and φύλαξις (phúlaxis, “protection, watching, guarding”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).