streptococcus

/ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/

//ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"streptococcus" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“streptococcus” is uncommon English (frequency #51,424 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,424
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause dis...

Corpus desk

Index EN-streptococcus · streptococcus · English

streptococcus · rank #51,424 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,424
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Strahan

Nearest frequency peer: Strahan (-1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “streptococcus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “streptococcus” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for streptococcus
PropertyValue
Headwordstreptococcus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/
Letters13
Frequency rank#51,424
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “streptococcus” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).streptococcusfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Strahan” (#51,423), “subroutine” (#51,425), “stonework” (#51,422). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “streptococcus” is #51,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

streptococcus is uncommon English at frequency #51,424 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause dis...".

No misspelling variants are generated for streptococcus in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós, “twisted, pliant”), like a chain. Compare the genus name Streptococcus. The correct English form is streptococcus, spelled S-T-R-E-P-T-O-C-O-C-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause diseases including strep throat and more serious conditions.

Etymology

Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós, “twisted, pliant”), like a chain. Compare the genus name Streptococcus.

This word in other languages

estreptococo(Español)streptocoque(Français)Streptokokken(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "streptococcus"?
"streptococcus" is spelled S-T-R-E-P-T-O-C-O-C-C-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/.
What does "streptococcus" mean?
As a noun, "streptococcus" means: A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause dis...
How do you pronounce "streptococcus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "streptococcus" is /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/. 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 "streptococcus"?
Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós, “twisted, pliant”), like a chain. Compare the genus name Streptococcus. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "streptococcus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Thessalonians#51,445semiautomatic#51,382psychoanalyst#51,331powerlessness#51,323

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list