prokaryote

/pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt/

//pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt// noun

"prokaryote" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“prokaryote” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An organism whose cell (or cells) are characterized by the absence of a nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelles.

Corpus desk

Index EN-prokaryote · prokaryote · English

prokaryote · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for prokaryote
PropertyValue
Headwordprokaryote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “prokaryote” in English

prokaryoteranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

prokaryote is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for prokaryote, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From pro- + karyon + -ote. The correct English form is prokaryote, spelled P-R-O-K-A-R-Y-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An organism whose cell (or cells) are characterized by the absence of a nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelles.
  2. 2
    In the two-empire system of biological taxonomy, an organism of the kingdom Prokaryotae (now superseded).

Etymology

From pro- + karyon + -ote.

Synonyms

prokaryota

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "prokaryote"?
"prokaryote" is spelled P-R-O-K-A-R-Y-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt/.
What does "prokaryote" mean?
As a noun, "prokaryote" means: An organism whose cell (or cells) are characterized by the absence of a nucleus or any other membrane-bound organelles.
How do you pronounce "prokaryote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "prokaryote" is /pɹəʊˈkæɹi.əʊt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "prokaryote"?
From pro- + karyon + -ote. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list