4 syllables: Dro, so, phil, a. Stress on phil.
dros-uh-FEYE-luh
/drɒsəˈfaɪlə/
Drosophila is pronounced dros-uh-FEYE-luh (/drɒsəˈfaɪlə/). It has four syllables (Dro-so-phil-a), with the stress on "phil". Drosophila is a genus of small fruit flies widely used in genetics and biology labs. The term refers specifically to common species such as Drosophila melanogaster, a model organism. As a noun, it denotes the organism and is used in scientific writing and teaching contexts.
nounDrosophila is a genus of small fruit flies widely used in genetics and biology labs. The term refers specifically to common species such as Drosophila melanogaster, a model organism. As a noun, it denotes the organism and is used in scientific writing and teaching contexts.
How to Pronounce Drosophila
"Researchers observed the mutation's effect in Drosophila during the developmental stage."
"The Drosophila strain showed rapid generation times, ideal for genetic screens."
"In the lab, Drosophila is kept at controlled temperatures to maintain consistent results."
Drosophila is pronounced dro-SO-fi-la with primary stress on the second syllable. IPA (US/UK): US: dɹəˈsoʊ.fɪ.lə, UK: drəˈsɒf.ɪ.lə. Focus on a clear middle syllable: /ˈsoʊ/ or /ˈsɒf/ depending on your accent. Start with a light initial “dro-” and end with a crisp “-la.” Listening to a biological narration or Pronounce can help; mirror the rhythm: da-da-SOH-fi-luh. Mastery comes from repeating in lab contexts to reinforce the two open vowels in the stressed and unstressed strokes.
Common errors: 1) Misplacing stress, saying dro-SRO-fi-la or dro-SO-ah-fa. Correction: place primary stress on the second syllable: dro-SO-fi-la. 2) Slurring the central vowel, turning /ˈsoʊ/ into a quick schwa; practice with slow, deliberate /ˈsoʊ/ and keep lips rounded for /oʊ/. 3) Mispronouncing the final -la as ‘lah’ with truncated final vowel; ensure the final /ə/ is audible: -fi-la. Regularly practice syllable-by-syllable enunciation to avoid running letters together.
In US English, /ˌdroʊ.ˈsoʊ.fɪ.lə/ with clear /oʊ/ in the first stressed syllable and /ɪ/ in the third. UK English often reduces the first vowel slightly and may have a shorter /ɒ/ in the second syllable: /drəˈsɒf.ɪ.lə/. Australian tends toward a clearer /ɒ/ or /ɔ/ in the second syllable with a broad /ɾ/ for the /r/ in some speakers: /ˈdrɒ.səˌfiː.lə/ depending on speaker. Key differences: rhoticity is less pronounced in non-American varieties; vowel height and length in the second and third syllables vary, so listening to native lab narration in each region helps tune accuracy.
Drosophila presents several challenges: complex syllable structure with three or four syllables, a stressed second syllable with a long /oʊ/ or /ɒ/ vowel, and a trailing schwa /ə/ that some speakers omit. The sequence -so- followed by -phi- can be misheard as -sofi- or -so-fa-; keep /ˈsoʊ/ or /ˈsɒf/ clearly separated from /ɪ/ in -fi-, then pronounce the final /lə/ as a light, unstressed schwa. Practice with slow tempos, then speed up while maintaining segment accuracy.
Drosophila includes a rare consonant cluster around the mid syllables and a contrastive vowel pair in the second and third syllables (/ˈsoʊ/ vs /ɪ/). The combination of a long mid-vowel in -so-, followed by a short -phi- (/fɪ/) and an unstressed final /lə/ requires precise mouth shaping: rounded lips for /oʊ/ and relaxed for /ɪ/ and /ə/. The word’s Greek-derived biology context also means many learners encounter it in advanced texts, making consistent, deliberate practice essential.
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US: rhotic pronunciation, clear /ɹ/ and longer /oʊ/ in second syllable; UK: non-rhotic or weaker r, slight vowel reduction in the second syllable, keep /ɒ/ or /ɒf/ quality; AU: tends toward a broader vowel in the second syllable and a more open final schwa. Use IPA anchors: US /dɹəˈsoʊ.fɪ.lə/, UK /drəˈsɒf.ɪ.lə/, AU /ˈdrɒ.səˌfiː.lə/. Pay attention to the prominence of the second syllable and maintain a precise ending /lə/. Cross-check with medical or genetics lectures where the term appears most often to get natural rhythm.
Drosophila derives from Greek roots: dros- (dew, nectar or dew-like) combined with -ophila (loving, favoring) from philein “to love.” The genus name was formed in the 20th century to describe fruit flies that thrive on sugary fruit substrates. The species epithet Drosophila melanogaster combines melano- (black) with -gaster (stomach), referencing the dark abdomen of the original specimen. First used in scientific taxonomies in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, Drosophila as a model organism rose to prominence in genetics after Thomas Hunt Morgan’s work in the 1910s and 1920s, where crosses of Drosophila melanogaster revealed chromosomal inheritance. The term gained standardization through embryology and genetic methodology, becoming a baseline term in developmental biology, cytogenetics, and evolutionary studies. Over the decades, Drosophila has also broadened to include numerous species within the genus, all sharing small size, rapid life cycles, and ease of laboratory culture. The etymology reflects the organism’s fruit-associated habitat and the early taxonomic habits of combining descriptive Greek roots with taxonomic suffixes to denote genus and species.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Drosophila" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Drosophila"
-lia sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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