diatom
/ˈdaɪ.əˌtɔm/noun
diatom is spelled D-I-A-T-O-M: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, diatom means “Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of diatom is diatoms.
How many letters and syllables are in diatom?
| Letters | 6: D-I-A-T-O-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 8 million words; the 84,254th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is diatom?
Diatom appears about once in every 8 million words in written English, the 84,254th 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 diatom?
- UK /ˈdaɪ.ə.təm/
- US /ˈdaɪ.əˌtɔm/
As a noun (“A molecule composed of two atoms of the same element; a…”): /daɪˈæ.təm/, /daɪˈæ.təm/.
Diatom has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-diatom.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of diatom
- diatoms plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does diatom mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of a group of minute unicellular algae having a siliceous covering of great delicacy, now categorized as class Diatomophyceae or division Bacillariophyta.
- 2
A molecule composed of two atoms of the same element; a homonuclear diatomic molecule.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Diatom in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense grouping of minute algae:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | diatomée |
| German | Kieselalge |
| Portuguese | diatomácea |
| Spanish | diatomea |
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 diatom come from?
From (deprecated) genus name Diatoma, from Ancient Greek διάτομος (diátomos, “cut through, cut in half”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).