embryo
em·bryo/ˈɛmbɹi.oʊ/noun
embryo is spelled E-M-B-R-Y-O: 6 letters and 2 syllables (em·bryo). It appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, embryo means “In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of embryo is embryos or embryones.
How many letters and syllables are in embryo?
| Letters | 6: E-M-B-R-Y-O |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: em·bryo |
| In writing | 2.2 times per million words; the 18,537th 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 embryo?
Embryo appears 2.2 times per million words in written English, the 18,537th 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 embryo?
- UK /ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/
- US /ˈɛmbɹi.oʊ/
Embryo has 2 syllables, split em·bryo in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-embryo.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of embryo
- embryos plural
- embryones plural
- embrio
- embrio’s
- embrioes
- embrioun
- embrion
- embryon
- embrions
- embryons
- embrya
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does embryo mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.
- 2
An organism in the earlier stages of development before it emerges from the egg, or before metamorphosis.
- 3
In a viviparous animal, the young animal's earliest stages in the mother's body.
- 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
A rudimentary plant contained in the seed.
- 6
The beginning; the first stage of anything.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Embryo in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense fertilized egg before developing into a fetus:
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 embryo come from?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).