How to Pronounce Anatomical Latin and Medico-Scientific Terms

The pronunciation of medico-scientific terms is a source of great anxiety for students. Practice is the best way to gain familiarity with the nuances of pronunciation of Latin and Greek words in medical English. Most medical dictionaries contain phonetic spellings of terms to help with pronunciation: intraocular (ĭn-tră-ŏk′ū-lĕr). The letters and symbols in a phonetic spelling represent the sound of a word, rather than its spelling.  Phonetic spellings contain diacritical marks indicating whether a vowel is long and short. Long vowels have a macron ( ¯ ) placed over them. Short vowels are indicated by diacritical mark called a breve ( ˘ ).  Syllables are separated either by an accent mark or a hyphen. The accent mark ( ′ ) is used to indicated which syllable in a word is stressed. The phonetic spellings in this textbook can be found in the parenthesis following each term.  In addition to these phonetic spellings, you will find audio-files on the textbook’s website.

Medical and scientific terms that retain their classical spelling are generally pronounced according to English letter sounds. Latin anatomical terms are pronounced according to English grammar. Thus, the pronunciation of scientific Latin differs from the pronunciation of classical Latin used today in the reading of ancient literature. For example, today the term biceps is commonly pronounced bī-sĕps, but in the Latin of ancient Rome it would have been pronounced bĭ-keps. For those with a background in classics, there is a desire to maintain classical pronunciations. However, for the sake of effective communication, it is best to learn the Anglo-Latin pronunciation of scientific Latin terms since med-speak.

It is important to bear in mind that the English pronunciation of medico-scientific terms has never been fully standardized, and therefore, it may vary from region to region. Because of this, one should not consider that there is an invariable “correct pronunciation”. The following are general principles to help you produce a reasonable pronunciation when faced with an unfamiliar term.

Vowels

The pronunciation of vowels follows the rules of English. Vowels can be considered long ( ¯ ) or short ( ˘ ).  Long vowels are as follows:

Long a (ā) sound as in rate

Long e (ē) sound as in bee

Long i (ī) sound as in eye

Long o (ō) sound as in over

Long u (ū) sound as in you

The sounds for short vowels are:

Short a (ă) sound as in alone

Short e (ĕ) sound as in elm

Short i (ĭ) sound as in it

Short o (ŏ) sound as in ton

Short u (ŭ) sound as in cut

A vowel which does not have a diacritical mark will have a flat sound:

      a sound as in banana

      e sound as in open

      i sound as in animal

      o sound as in got

      u sound as in put

When the letter y substitutes for the Greek letter υ (upsilon), it is generally pronounced with a long e (ē) sound, as in bradycardia and pachyderma. However, in some cases it retains a short i sound (ĭ) as in symbol and symbiotic.

Final Vowel

Terms which preserve Latin or Greek spellings the final vowel is voiced as follows:

Final Vowel	Example
a = “ah”  sound	amoeba (ă-mē′bă)
i = “eye” sound	fungi (fŭn′jī, or fŭn′gī)
e = “ee” sound as in heel	syncope (sĭn′kō-pē)
es = “ease” sound	phalanges (fă-lăn′jēz)

Diphthongs

The combination of two vowels to make a single sound is termed a diphthong. Because many students struggle with the modern pronunciation of classical diphthongs special attention should be given to the following:

Diphthong	Example
au as in “taught”	caudal (kawd′ăl)
eu as in “neuter”	aneurysm (ăn′ū-rĭzm)
oi as in “boy”	koilonychia (koy-lō-nĭk′ē-ă)
ae and oe as in “heel”	paederus (pēd′ĕr-ŭs), coelom (sē′lŏm)
ei as in “eye”	leiomyoma (lī-ō-mī-ō′mă)
ui = as in “quick”	equine (ē′kwīn)

N.B. The vowel combination of ie is not a Latin diphthong. With Latin words, it is pronounced as two separate vowels. For example, pariesis pronounced pā′rē-ĕs, and facies is pronounced fā′shē-ēz. The vowel combination oi is not a diphthong in Latin, which explains why in some words derived from Latin the vowels are pronounced separately, as in introitus (ĭn-trō′ĭ-tŭs). That said, by convention oi is typically pronounced “oy” for most words derived from Greek and Latin.

Consonants

Consonants pose problems for students because they are often unsure which sound should be used. The following list English rules for how consonants in words derived from Greek and Latin are pronounced.

Consonant	Examples
c before a, o, or u = k	cavus (kā′vŭs)
c before ae, oe, e, i, or y = s	coelom (sē′lŏm)
cc before e, i, or y = ks	cocci (kŏk′sī)
ch = k	chiroplasty (kī-rō-plăs′tē)
g before a, o, or u = g	gonad (gō′năd)
g before ae, oe, e, i, or y = j	angina (ăn-jī′nă)
ph = f	tenophyte (tĕn′ō-fīt)
rh orrrh= r	angiorrhexis (ăn-jē-or-ĕk′sĭs)
s + i  before another vowel =  zhă as in leisure or zēă	aphasia (ă-fā′zhă)   polyphrasia (pŏl-ē-frā′zē-ă)
sc + i or e before another  vowel = s	misce (mĭs′ē)
th = th	thenal(thē′năl)
t + i  before another vowel = sh	aproctia(ă-prŏk′shē-ă)
x as thefirst consonant of word = z	xerosis (zē-rō′sĭs)
x in the middle of a word = ks	taxis(tăk′sĭs)

At the beginning of a word, the first consonants of the following cluster of consonants are often silent:

Consonant cluster and sound	Examples
chth  = th	chthonic  (thon′ik)
ct = t	ctenocephalides  (tĕn-ō-sĕf-ăl′ĭ-dēz)
gn = n	gnathic (năth′ĭk)
mn = n	mnemic (nē′mĭk)
phth = th	phthisis (thĭ′sĭs)
pn = n	pneumonia (nū-mō′nē-ă)
ps=s	psoriasis (sō-rī′ă-sĭs)
pt= t	pterygoid (tĕr′ĭ-goyd)

N.B. When these combinations occur after a vowel or in the middle of a term, the first consonant typically are pronounced, as in apnea (ăp-nē′ă), hemoptysis (hē-mŏp′tĭ-sĭs), and amnesia (ăm-nē′zē-ă).

Syllables

A Latin or Greek word has as many syllables as it has vowel sounds or diphthongs. Every syllable is pronounced. The following are guidelines for the recognizing and pronunciation of syllables.

A single consonant between two vowels or diphthongs generally goes with the second one.

meatus (mē-ā′tŭs)

The exception is the letter x because it is treated as two consonants, ks, and generally is attached to the previous vowel.

epistaxis (ĕp″ĭ-stăk′sĭs)

Two adjacent consonants between two vowels or diphthongs are generally split.

verruca (vĕr-roo′kă)

The following double consonants are treated as single consonants:

cr, br, dr, gr, kr, pr, tr     sacrum (sā′krŭm);  nigra (nī′gră)

ch, ph, rh, rrh, th     gnathus (nā′thŭs);  trichoma (trĭk-ō′mă)

bl, cl, dl, gl, kl, ll, pl, tl   neuroclonic (nū″rō-klŏn′ĭk);  neuroglioma (nū″rō-glī- ō′mă)

When there are three or more consonants between two vowels or diphthongs, all the consonants but the first consonant generally go with the second vowel.

                        antroscope (an′trŏ-skōp″)     

Stess and Vowel Length

Due to irregularities in the pronunciation of vowels, it is best to consult a dictionarly to determine which syllables are stressed and which vowels are long. The following are some general guidelines if a dictionary is not available. 

Words of two syllables

The stress (′) is on the first syllable.

fauces (fŏ′sēz)

cocci (kŏk′sī)

• The vowel of the first syllable is often short if followed by two or more consonants.

septum (sĕp′tŭm)

fossa (fos′ă)

• The vowel of the first syllabus is often long if followed by one consonant.

dura (dū′ră)

ramus (rā′mŭs)Words of three or more syllabes

Words of more than two syllables

The second to last syllable is stressed if the vowel of that syllable is followed by two or more consonants (including x) making it short.

maxilla (măk-sĭl′ă)

epistaxis (ĕp″ĭ-stăk′sĭs)

The second to last syllable is stressed if the vowel is long or a diphthong. 

lateralis (lăt-ĕr-ā′lĭs)

chimera (kī-mē′ră)

The third to last syllable is stressed if 2a and 2b do not apply.

streptolysin (strĕp-tŏl′ĭ-sĭn)

perforatorium (pĕr″fō-ră-tō′rē-ŭm)