optogenetics
noun
optogenetics is spelled O-P-T-O-G-E-N-E-T-I-C-S: 12 letters. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, optogenetics means “A science that combines optics and genetics, aiming at controlling cellular processes with light. The cells are made responsive to light using…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in optogenetics?
| Letters | 12: O-P-T-O-G-E-N-E-T-I-C-S |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 131,834th 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 optogenetics?
Optogenetics appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th 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).
What does optogenetics mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A science that combines optics and genetics, aiming at controlling cellular processes with light. The cells are made responsive to light using genetics and then activated using specific wavelengths.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Optogenetics in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense science that combines optics and genetics:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | optogénétique |
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 optogenetics come from?
(2006) Coined from optics and genetics by Karl Deisseroth and Mark J. Schnitzer in a review paper (K. Deisseroth, G. Feng, A. K. Majewska, G. Miesenböck, A. Ting, M. J. Schnitzer, Next-Generation Optical Technologies for Illuminating Genetically Targeted Brain Circuits, Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 26, no. 41 (October 2006), pp. 10380–6).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).