mitochondrion
/ˌmaɪtəˈkɑndɹiən/noun
mitochondrion is spelled M-I-T-O-C-H-O-N-D-R-I-O-N: 13 letters and 5 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mitochondrion means “A spherical or ovoid organelle found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and containing genetic material separate from that of the host; it is…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mitochondrion is mitochondria; Wiktionary also lists mitochondrions (proscribed).
How many letters and syllables are in mitochondrion?
| Letters | 13: M-I-T-O-C-H-O-N-D-R-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 103,949th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mitochondrion?
Mitochondrion appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 103,949th 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 mitochondrion?
- UK /ˌmaɪtəˈkɒndɹiən/
- US /ˌmaɪtəˈkɑndɹiən/
Mitochondrion has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mitochondrion.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mitochondrion
- mitochondria plural
- mitochondrions plural, rare
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mitochondrion mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A spherical or ovoid organelle found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and containing genetic material separate from that of the host; it is responsible for the conversion of food to usable energy in the form of ATP.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate mitochondrion?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of mitochondrion: mt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mitochondrion in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense respiratory organelle:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mitochondrie |
| German | Mitochondrium, Mitochondrion |
| Portuguese | mitocôndria |
| Spanish | mitocondria |
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 mitochondrion come from?
From German Mitochondrium, coined by Carl Benda in 1898, from Ancient Greek μίτος (mítos, “thread”) + χονδρίον (khondríon), diminutive of χόνδρος (khóndros, “grain, morsel”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).