Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell phobia

Phobia is spelled P-H-O-B-I-A.

hear itpho·bi·a/'foʊbiə/nounLong vowels

What it means: An extreme or irrational fear of something.

In a sentence: Anna has a phobia of spiders and gets scared whenever she sees one.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear.

Same family: phobic, arachnophobia, claustrophobia, social-phobia, anxiety. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Phobia comes from the Greek word 'phobos', meaning 'fear' or 'terror'; in Greek mythology, Phobos was the personification of fear and panic who accompanied the god of war, Ares, into battle.

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