tetracycline

Name: tetracycline, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/

//ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“tetracycline” is uncommon English (frequency #54,529 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,529
frequency rank, English: 27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A yellow crystalline broad-spectrum antibiotic C₂₂H₂₄N₂O₈ produced by streptomyces or synthetically.

Key facts for tetracycline
Property	Value
Headword	tetracycline
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/
Letters	12
Frequency rank	#54,529
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tetracycline” sits in English frequency

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

#54,529

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tetracycline is uncommon English at frequency #54,529 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

tetracycline has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tetracyclic + -ine. The correct English form is tetracycline, spelled T-E-T-R-A-C-Y-C-L-I-N-E.

Definition

1
A yellow crystalline broad-spectrum antibiotic C₂₂H₂₄N₂O₈ produced by streptomyces or synthetically.
2
Any of a large group of antibiotics with the same general structure derived from tetracene with many hydroxyl and other groups.

Etymology

From tetracyclic + -ine.

This word in other languages

tétracycline(Français)

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 "tetracycline"?

"tetracycline" is spelled T-E-T-R-A-C-Y-C-L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/.

What does "tetracycline" mean?

As a noun, "tetracycline" means: A yellow crystalline broad-spectrum antibiotic C₂₂H₂₄N₂O₈ produced by streptomyces or synthetically.

How do you pronounce "tetracycline"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tetracycline" is /ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/. 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 "tetracycline"?

From tetracyclic + -ine. 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.

Using “tetracycline”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is T-E-T-R-A-C-Y-C-L-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˌtɛ.tɹəˈsaɪ.kliːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.