# genetics

> English word · Noun · IPA /dʒəˈnɛt.ɪks/ · frequency rank #9,047

## Definitions
1. The branch of biology that deals with the transmission and variation of inherited characteristics, in particular chromosomes and DNA.
2. The genetic makeup of a specific individual or species.

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek γένεσις (génesis, “origin”). Coined by English biologist William Bateson in 1905 in a letter to zoologist Adam Sedgwick, and first used publicly by Bateson at a lecture to the International Conference on Plant Hybridization in 1906.

## Easily confused with
- **genomics** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genetics-vs-genomics)
- **genetic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genetic-vs-genetics)
- **generic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/generic-vs-genetics)
- **genesis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genesis-vs-genetics)
- **geneticist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/geneticist-vs-genetics)

## Common misspellings (12)
`egnetics`, `geentics`, `geneitcs`, `genetcis`, `geneticcs`, `geneticss`, `genetisc`, `genettics`, `gennetics`, `genteics`, `ggenetics`, `gneetics`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/genetics