4 syllables: De, hy, dra, tases. Stress on hy.
dee-HEYE-druh-tay-ziz
/diːˈhaɪdrəˌteɪzɪz/
Dehydratases is pronounced dee-HEYE-druh-tay-ziz (/diːˈhaɪdrəˌteɪzɪz/). It has four syllables (De-hy-dra-tases), with the stress on "hy". Dehydratases are enzymes that catalyze the removal of water from substrates in chemical reactions, typically in metabolic pathways. They function as hydratases in reverse or dehydration steps, often acting on alcohols, carboxylic acids, or sugars to form alkenes or carbonyl compounds. In biochemistry, they are studied for roles in energy production and synthesis, with specific subtypes named by substrate specificity.
nounDehydratases are enzymes that catalyze the removal of water from substrates in chemical reactions, typically in metabolic pathways. They function as hydratases in reverse or dehydration steps, often acting on alcohols, carboxylic acids, or sugars to form alkenes or carbonyl compounds. In biochemistry, they are studied for roles in energy production and synthesis, with specific subtypes named by substrate specificity.
How to Pronounce Dehydratases
"The dehydratases in glycolysis help convert 2-phosphoglycerate to phosphoenolpyruvate."
"Researchers characterized a family of dehydratases involved in fatty acid metabolism."
"Mutations in dehydratases can disrupt amino acid catabolism and energy yield."
You say /ˌdiːˈhaɪ.drəˌteɪ.zɪz/. The primary stress is on the second syllable of the root (hy-). Break it as dee-HY-dra-tases, with the -tases ending as -tay-ziz. For clarity, the sequence is di- (dee), hydra (HY-dra), -ta- (teɪ), -ses (zɪz). Internal vowels are long in the first two syllables and the final -zɪz has a soft, plural z sound. Audio reference: standard IPA transcription aligns with most biochemistry pronunciations.
Common errors include stressing the first or third syllable instead of the second (de-HY-dra-ta-ses), and mispronouncing the -ta- as a quick schwa rather than /teɪ/. Another pitfall is weakening the final -ses to /sɪz/ or misplacing the z-sound. Correct by emphasizing HY in HY-dra and keeping the -ta- as /teɪ/ before the plural /zɪz/. Practice the sequence: /ˌdiːˈhaɪ.drəˌteɪ.zɪz/.
In US, the /ˌdiːˈhaɪ.drəˌteɪ.zɪz/ is rhotic with clear /r/ in the middle syllable and a tense /eɪ/ in /teɪ/. UK typically keeps /r/ less pronounced after vowels, yielding a subtler /ˈhaɪ.drə/ onset and a slightly reduced final /zɪz/. Australian pronunciation often mirrors US with a bright /iː/ in the initial syllable and a clear /ˈteɪ.zɪz/ at the end, but you may hear a marginally wider vowel in /ˌdiːˈhaɪ.drəˌteɪ.zɪz/. IPA remains consistent, but rhoticity and vowel quality shift with accent.
The difficulty lies in the multi-syllabic, non-native triphthong sequence and the fast transition from the long /iː/ to /ɪ/ or /aɪ/ in HY-dra and the /ˌteɪ/ before the final /zɪz/. Also, the plural suffix -zɪz combines two separate sounds, requiring precise tongue advancement to avoid a flat ending. Focus on sustaining the /ˈhaɪ/ cluster and crisply releasing the final /zɪz/.
No, Dehydratases is pronounced with all letters heard in typical English pronunciation. The sequence di- (dee), -hydra (HY-dra), -ta- (teɪ), -ses (zɪz) each contribute audible sounds. The potential silent-letter risk is misreading the -tas- as -tæs- or omitting the final z sound in fast speech; maintain the /z/ and /zɪz/ clearly.
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The term dehydratase derives from the combination of the prefix de- (indicating removal or reversal), the root hydrate (from the Greek hydor “water”) referring to water, and the enzyme-suffix -ase, which denotes biological catalysts. The word entered scientific English in the 19th and early 20th centuries as biochemistry formalized enzymatic functions and reaction types. Early biochemists categorized enzymes by the chemical transformation they catalyze, such as oxidases, hydratases, and dehydratases, with the latter signifying dehydration reactions. The spelling aligns in English with the plural -es ending common to many enzyme names (e.g., dehydratases vs. dehydration enzymes). First known uses appear in enzymology texts of the late 19th century as methods to isolate and classify metabolic enzymes. Over time, dehydratases have been refined by structural biology, revealing subfamilies that act on diverse substrates, from amino acids to carbohydrates, reinforcing the precision language of enzyme nomenclature in biochemistry.
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Words that rhyme with "Dehydratases"
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