embryo

/ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/

//ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ// noun

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

"embryo" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“embryo” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,554. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,554
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-embryo · embryo · English

embryo · rank #18,554 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,554
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH embroidered

Nearest frequency peer: embroidered (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “embryo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “embryo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

embryo vs emery
67% similar
embryo vs embargo
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for embryo
PropertyValue
Headwordembryo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,554
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “embryo”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “embroidered” (#18,553), “Eminem” (#18,555), “embodied” (#18,552). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “embryo” is #18,554. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around embryo (IPA /ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,554 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for embryo, with forms such as "ebmryo", "embbryo", and "embroy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "emery", "embargo", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”). The correct English form is embryo, spelled E-M-B-R-Y-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.
  2. 2
    An organism in the earlier stages of development before it emerges from the egg, or before metamorphosis.
  3. 3
    In a viviparous animal, the young animal's earliest stages in the mother's body.
  4. 4
    In a human, usually the cell growth of the child within the mother's body, through the end of the seventh week of pregnancy.
  5. 5
    A rudimentary plant contained in the seed.
  6. 6
    The beginning; the first stage of anything.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how embryo appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. SE onset depends on a complex network of interactions among plant growth regulators, mainly auxins and cytokinins, during the proembryogenic early stages, and ethylene and gibberellic and abscisic acids later in the development of somatic embryos.
  2. In situ hybridisations were performed on devitellinised embryos still wrapped around the yolk and on embryos with the yolk dissected away.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”).

This word in other languages

embrión(Español)embryon(Français)Embryo(Deutsch)embrião(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ebmryo
  • embbryo
  • embroy
  • embrryo
  • embryyo
  • embyro
  • emmbryo
  • emrbyo
  • mebryo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of embryo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ebmryo2embbryo1embroy2embrryo1embryyo1embyro2emmbryo1emrbyo2
Edit distance from "embryo"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "embryo"?
"embryo" is spelled E-M-B-R-Y-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/.
What does "embryo" mean?
As a noun, "embryo" means: In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.
What words are commonly confused with "embryo"?
"embryo" is commonly confused with "emery", "embargo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "embryo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "embryo" is /ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "embryo"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "embryo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Eminem#18,555Eileen#18,550fiesta#18,560devout#18,539

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

glazed9 variantscurled9 variantshinges9 variantsIngram9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list