alleles

noun/əˈliːlz/

Frequency rank: #15,381 most common English word

Meaning

alternative forms of a gene that occupy the same position on a chromosome and influence the same trait.

Illustration for the English word “alleles”

Example sentence

The two alleles inherited from each parent determine whether a trait like eye color is expressed.

Synonyms & related words

Practice this word in the quiz

More words in ranks 15,301–15,400