Pronouncing medical word endings
Use -itis, -osis, -ology, and -ologist as listening anchors in twelve medical terms.
Practice goal: Find the stressed vowel near each ending and keep the surrounding syllables clear.
Start near the strongest vowel
Arthritis and encephalitis have a stressed eye vowel near the ending. Cirrhosis and osteoporosis instead have a stressed oh vowel. Say that stressed part first, then add the earlier syllables without rushing them.
Distinguish -ology from -ologist
Ophthalmology ends with a j sound followed by ee. Ophthalmologist continues to a light vowel and the final st consonants. Compare the complete words rather than assuming that all of their earlier sounds must be identical.
Keep a long word connected
Choose one specialist title from the last group. Practice the end, add the stressed syllable, then add the beginning. Play its APG video again and say the complete word in its practice sentence.
Your listening list
12 wordsChoose a word to hear it in an APG video.
-itis: a stressed eye vowel
Practice arthritis with a THRY-tus ending and encephalitis with a LY-tus ending. Keep the eye vowel strong and the uh after t light.
arthritis
/ɑɹˈθɹaɪtəs/
Make the “rye” sound stand out.
Keep the unvoiced th sound before r. The stressed vowel glides as in eye; the final syllable stays light in both pronunciations.
Watch arthritis →encephalitis
/ɛnˌsɛfəˈlaɪtəs/
en-sef-uh-LY-tus: make LY the main beat.
The c before e sounds like s, and ph sounds like f. In en-sef-uh-LY-tus, finish with a light “tus.”
Watch encephalitis →
-osis: a stressed oh vowel
The -osis ending has its main beat on oh. Its last unstressed vowel can differ, so compare each word’s IPA rather than forcing an identical ending.
cirrhosis
/sɚˈoʊsəs/
Listen for a stressed “oh” vowel.
The initial c has an s sound, and the doubled r does not create another syllable. Let the last syllable be lighter than the middle one.
Watch cirrhosis →osteoporosis
/ˌɔstiˌɑpɚˈoʊsɪs/
Let “roh” carry the main beat.
A long word can have smaller beats before its main stress. Work backward from the stressed oh sound, then add the earlier syllables without speeding through them.
Watch osteoporosis →apoptosis
/ˌæ.pəˈtoʊ.sɪs/
ap-uh-TOH-sis: leave out the second p.
The main stress falls on TOH, with a smaller beat at the beginning. The dictionary also records the second p before t.
Watch apoptosis →arteriosclerosis
/ɑɹˌtɪɹioʊskləˈroʊsəs/
ar-teer-ee-oh-skluh-ROH-sus: stress ROH.
Keep the skl cluster together near the middle, without adding a vowel between s, k, and l. The earlier TEER has a smaller beat.
Watch arteriosclerosis →
-ology: j followed by ee
The g near the end sounds like j. Keep that ending light after the stronger vowel earlier in the word.
ophthalmology
/ˌɑpθəˈmɑlədʒi/
Stress MOL.
The opening can use p-th or f-th. Keep the th unvoiced, as in thin, and finish with the j of job followed by ee.
Watch ophthalmology →epidemiology
/ˌɛpəˌdɛmiˈɑlədʒi/
Build the word around its strongest vowel.
The main stress is later than the smaller beats near the beginning. Say the ending slowly, with the j sound in job before the final ee vowel.
Watch epidemiology →
-ologist: finish with st
Keep the strongest vowel ahead of the light ending. In otolaryngologist, the earlier g is hard, but the g in gist has the j sound.
anesthesiologist
/ˌænəsˌθiziˈɑlədʒəst/
an-us-thee-zee-OL-uh-jist: put the main beat on OL.
The th is the unvoiced sound of “thin,” and the following s has a z sound. Finish with a light “uh-jist,” using the j of “jam.”
Watch anesthesiologist →ophthalmologist
/ˌɔf.θə(l)ˈmɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/
of-thuhl-MAH-luh-jist: the main stress is on MAH.
In of-thuhl-MAH-luh-jist, the first syllable ends with f, followed by the th of “thin”; the l before MAH can be omitted. Another dictionary pronunciation uses p instead of f before th.
Watch ophthalmologist →otolaryngologist
/ˌoʊ.toʊ.lɛɚ.ɪŋˈɡɑ.lə.d͡ʒɪst/
oh-toh-lair-ing-GAH-luh-jist: stress GAH.
The g in the stressed syllable is hard, while the final gist begins with j. Keep the long opening sequence lighter than GAH.
Watch otolaryngologist →rheumatologist
/ˌɹuməˈtɑlədʒəst/
roo-muh-TAH-luh-jist: stress TAH.
The initial rh sounds like a single r. Keep the first vowel long, as in “rue,” then lighten the syllables around TAH.
Watch rheumatologist →
Test these pronunciations
Try 8 questions from this guide. Each answer includes an APG video, dictionary reference, and explanation.
Try this guide’s quiz →Sources & classroom use
Each listening tip follows the IPA shown beside its word. Other dictionary pronunciations appear on the word page; individual speakers may vary.
Practice phrases were written for these exercises; quoted book passages remain in the separate, sourced book sections. These guides and practice notes are available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Credit American Pronunciation Guide and retain the linked dictionary attributions. Videos and other reference material keep their own terms.
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