5 syllables: De, hy, dro, gen, ase. Stress on hy.
dee-HEYE-droh-juh-nays
/diːˈhaɪdroʊdʒənˌeɪs/
Dehydrogenase is pronounced dee-HEYE-droh-juh-nays (/diːˈhaɪdroʊdʒənˌeɪs/). It has five syllables (De-hy-dro-gen-ase), with the stress on "hy". Dehydrogenase is a class of enzymes that catalyze the removal of hydrogen atoms from substrates, typically by transferring them to an electron-accepting molecule. In biochemistry, dehydrogenases play key roles in oxidation-reduction reactions within metabolic pathways. This noun often appears in contexts discussing enzymatic activity, metabolic regulation, and biochemical assays.
nounDehydrogenase is a class of enzymes that catalyze the removal of hydrogen atoms from substrates, typically by transferring them to an electron-accepting molecule. In biochemistry, dehydrogenases play key roles in oxidation-reduction reactions within metabolic pathways. This noun often appears in contexts discussing enzymatic activity, metabolic regulation, and biochemical assays.
"The activity of malate dehydrogenase was measured to assess cellular respiration."
"Lactate dehydrogenase levels can indicate tissue damage or disease."
"The enzyme dehydrogenase participates in the oxidative steps of the citric acid cycle."
Break it into four syllables: de-HY-dro-gee-nase. Primary stress falls on the second syllable: de-HY-dro-gen-ase, with 'ase' sounding like -ayz. In IPA for US: /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/ (or /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/); UK: /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/; AU: /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/. Emphasize HY as a clear diphthong, and keep the final -ase as a soft 'z' sound.
Common errors: (1) Stress on the first syllable: say- de-HY-dro-gen-ase. (2) Slurring the -ase ending into '-ize' or '-as' sounds. (3) Mispronouncing the middle 'hydro' as 'hyd-roe' or 'hid-ro' instead of 'HY-dro'. Correction: place primary stress on HY, maintain a crisp /dʒ/ or /j/ transition between syllables, and end with /eɪz/ or /eɪz/.
In US, stress pattern is similar to UK/AU but vowel qualities shift. US /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/ features rhotics and a sharper /ɪ/ vs /iː/ in some accents. UK typically /ˌdiˈhaɪ.drəˌdeɪz/ with non-rhotic r and slightly more centralized vowels in the second syllable. Australian tends to a broader /ˌdiˈheiː.dreɪz/… but commonly follows US rhythm with less rhoticity. Key difference is rhoticity and vowel quality in 'hydro' and 'dehyde' segments.
Difficulties include maintaining intact four-syllable flow, handling the cluster /dr/ after HY, and ensuring the final /eɪz/ is not reduced to /z/ or /s/. Also, the 'hydro' segment has a diphthong that can shift depending on accent. Practice saying de-HY-dro-gen-ase with even tempo, and keep the middle syllables distinct to avoid merging 'hydro' and 'gen'.
There are no silent letters in dehydrogenase, but the stress pattern is multi-syllabic: DI- HY- dro- GE- nase? Correction: the primary stress is on HY in most scientific usage, with secondary stress on the third syllable depending on speaker. The pattern is best remembered as de-HY-dro-gen-ase, with emphasis on HY and a clear final '-ase' pronounced as -ayz.
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Dehydrogenase derives from the prefix de- meaning removal or reduction, hydrogen referring to the hydrogen atoms involved in redox reactions, and -ase indicating an enzyme. The term follows a long tradition in biochemistry of naming enzymes by the substrate or reaction and adding -ase (e.g., oxidase, lactate dehydrogenase). The root hydrogen comes from Latin hydrogenium, from Greek hydr- 'water' and -gene 'producing' or 'born of', reflecting historical ideas about hydrogen’s role in oxidation-reduction. The combination dehydro- indicates removal of hydrogen, and -gen- in the stem ties to generation or catalysis of a reaction. The first formal use of dehydrogenase in scientific literature traces to 19th- to early 20th-century enzymology as researchers began characterizing oxidative enzymes, with the term appearing in discussions of respiratory metabolism and oxidoreductase families. Over time, the word has specialized to a broad class name for enzymes that remove hydrogen across diverse substrates, maintaining a stable, though sometimes narrow, usage in biochemistry texts and lab protocols.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Dehydrogenase" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Dehydrogenase"
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