erythromycin
/ɪˌɹɪθ.ɹə(ʊ)ˈmʌɪ.sɪn/
"erythromycin" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“erythromycin” is uncommon English (frequency #71,488 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #71,488
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An antibiotic similar to penicillin, used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | erythromycin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɪˌɹɪθ.ɹə(ʊ)ˈmʌɪ.sɪn/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #71,488 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “erythromycin” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
erythromycin is uncommon English at frequency #71,488 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˌɹɪθ.ɹə(ʊ)ˈmʌɪ.sɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for erythromycin in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From (Streptomyces) erythr(eus) + -o- + -mycin (“antibiotic from a Streptomyces strain”). The correct English form is erythromycin, spelled E-R-Y-T-H-R-O-M-Y-C-I-N.
Definition
- 1An antibiotic similar to penicillin, used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections.
- 2A broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic C₃₇H₆₇NO₁₃ produced by an actinomycete Saccharopolyspora erythraea (formerly Streptomyces erythreus) and similar in its effects to penicillin, administered orally or topically in the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria.
Etymology
From (Streptomyces) erythr(eus) + -o- + -mycin (“antibiotic from a Streptomyces strain”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “erythromycin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-R-Y-T-H-R-O-M-Y-C-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˌɹɪθ.ɹə(ʊ)ˈmʌɪ.sɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.