cryo-

\kʁi.jo\

/\kʁi.jo\/ prefix

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Préfixe servant à la formation de mots en rapport avec le froid (en chimie, physique, médecine…).

Corpus desk

Index FR-cryo · cryo- · French

cryo- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 cryo-
PropertyValue
Headwordcryo-
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPrefix
IPA\kʁi.jo\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « cryo- » en français

cryo-reste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

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

Rare enough to double-check

cryo- is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix, transcribed \kʁi.jo\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Préfixe servant à la formation de mots en rapport avec le froid (en chimie, physique, médecine…).".

cryo- has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is cryo-, spelled C-R-Y-O--.

Definition

  1. 1
    Préfixe servant à la formation de mots en rapport avec le froid (en chimie, physique, médecine…).

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 "cryo-"?
"cryo-" is spelled C-R-Y-O--. The IPA pronunciation is \kʁi.jo\.
What does "cryo-" mean?
As a prefix, "cryo-" means: Préfixe servant à la formation de mots en rapport avec le froid (en chimie, physique, médecine…).
How do you pronounce "cryo-"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cryo-" is \kʁi.jo\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cryo-" come from?
"cryo-" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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