parthenogenesis
par·the·no·gen·e·sis/ˌpɑɹθɪnoʊˈd͡ʒɛnɪsɪs/noun
parthenogenesis is spelled P-A-R-T-H-E-N-O-G-E-N-E-S-I-S, 6 syllables: par·the·no·gen·e·sis. The wrong spelling people search most is pathenogenesis: about 20 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 98 of all searches for the word. Parthenogenesis is a noun meaning “(An instance of) reproduction by the development of a single gamete (an ovum or ovule) without fertilisation…”. The plural of parthenogenesis is parthenogeneses.
How many letters and syllables are in parthenogenesis?
| Letters | 15: P-A-R-T-H-E-N-O-G-E-N-E-S-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 6: par·the·no·gen·e·sis |
| In writing | about once in every 10 million words; the 95,993rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, pathenogenesis, about 20 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell parthenogenesis?
Parthenogenesis is spelled P-A-R-T-H-E-N-O-G-E-N-E-S-I-S. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 99 of the searches for parthenogenesis in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is parthenogenesis?
Parthenogenesis appears about once in every 10 million words in written English, the 95,993rd 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 parthenogenesis?
- UK /ˌpɑːθɪnəʊˈd͡ʒɛnɪsɪs/
- UK /ˌpɑːθənəʊˈd͡ʒɛnɪsɪs/
- US /ˌpɑɹθɪnoʊˈd͡ʒɛnɪsɪs/
Parthenogenesis has 6 syllables, split par·the·no·gen·e·sis in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-parthenogenesis.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of parthenogenesis
- parthenogeneses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does parthenogenesis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
(An instance of) reproduction by the development of a single gamete (an ovum or ovule) without fertilisation by a gamete of the opposite sex; compare monogenesis, metagenesis, and heterogamy.
Scientists say the birth is the second confirmed instance of a shark being conceived by parthenogenesis, a process in which an unfertilised egg develops into a new individual.
- 2
Asexual reproduction in toto; agamogenesis.
- 3
figurative uses of the biological senses
We may learn, to be sure, plenty of lessons from Shakespeare. We are not likely to have kingdoms to divide, crowns foretold us by weird sisters, a father’s death to avenge, or to kill our wives from jealously ; but Lear may teach us to draw
- 4
Virgin birth, in reference to the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Parthenogenesis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense reproduction from a single gamete without fertilisation:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | parthénogenèse |
| German | Parthenogenese |
| Portuguese | partenogênese, partenogénese |
| Spanish | partenogenesis |
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 parthenogenesis come from?
From partheno- + -genesis, from Ancient Greek παρθένος (parthénos, “virgin”) and γένεσις (génesis, “origin, creation, generation”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).