Tetracation is a compound word made up of two Greek roots, "tetra" meaning four and "cation" meaning positively charged ion. The correct spelling is /tɛtrəkeɪʃən/ with stress on the second syllable. The "t" at the beginning of the word is pronounced as /t/ and the "c" in "cation" is pronounced as /k/. Tetracation refers to the creation of a molecule with four positively charged ions. It is commonly used in chemistry and physics research.