Moss Spelling Dictionary

Is it anthocerus, like most Latin names?

heard as anthocerus

spelled anthoceros

No. This one ends -os: Anthoceros.

What the ear did

Nearly every genus name in a flora ends in -us, -a or -um, so -us is the reflex guess. Anthoceros kept its Greek ending untouched, which is unusual enough to be worth remembering on its own.

Sound decision: an unstressed vowel blurring. Said an-THOSS-er-oss.

A-N-T-H-O-C-E-R-O-S

The full entry for anthoceros covers the name itself.

Other spellings people try