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How to spell antibiotic

Antibiotic is spelled A-N-T-I-B-I-O-T-I-C.

hear itan·ti·bi·ot·ic/,æntɪbaɪ'ɑtɪk/nounPrefixes and work

What it means: A substance that fights bacterial infections.

In a sentence: The doctor gave Sam an antibiotic to help him feel better.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: antibiotics, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, penicillin. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Antibiotic comes from Greek roots: anti‑ meaning “against” and bios meaning “life,” because these drugs work against living microbes like bacteria. The term became popular in the 1940s after the discovery and use of penicillin in World War II.

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