DNA History, Replication, and Protein Synthesis Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. The deoxy- prefix tells you the sugar component is deoxyribose, which is ribose missing an oxygen on the 2′ carbon. The ribo- part points to ribose, the sugar used in RNA, while the nucleic acid ending signals that this molecule is a long polymer built from nucleotides—each nucleotide has a sugar, a phosphate, and a base—designed to store genetic information. This naming also helps distinguish it from RNA, which is ribonucleic acid.