3 syllables: A, tro, phy. Stress on A.
AT-ruh-fee
/ˈætɹəfi/
Atrophy is pronounced AT-ruh-fee (/ˈætɹəfi/). It has three syllables (A-tro-phy), with the stress on "A". Atrophy is the wasting away or decrease in size of a body part, tissue, or organ due to disease, lack of use, or malnutrition. It can describe both physical degeneration and functional decline, and is often used in medical contexts as a noun. The term implies progressive reduction rather than abrupt loss, and may be accompanied by diminished function or strength.
nounAtrophy is the wasting away or decrease in size of a body part, tissue, or organ due to disease, lack of use, or malnutrition. It can describe both physical degeneration and functional decline, and is often used in medical contexts as a noun. The term implies progressive reduction rather than abrupt loss, and may be accompanied by diminished function or strength.
"The patient showed progressive atrophy of the surrounding muscles after the injury."
"With age, some muscles experience atrophy if not regularly exercised."
"The report noted cerebral atrophy, indicating loss of brain tissue."
Pronounced ə-ˈträ-fē in US/UK/AU conventions, with stress on the second syllable. IPA: US: /ˈætrəfi/ or /ə-ˈtrɒfi/ depending on variant; Common medical usage favors /əˈtrɒfi/ in UK and /əˈtrɔfi/ in US. Focus on a clear /tr/ onset and a long /ɔ/ or /ɒ/ vowel in the stressed syllable, then a final /fi/ or /fi/ sequence. Start with a weak initial schwa, then lift into the stressed /trɒ/ (US: /trɔ/). Audio references: consult Pronounce or Forvo for native speaker samples to confirm context, but maintain the two-phoneme nucleus /trə/ or /trɒ/ in the stressed syllable.
Common errors include misplacing stress (stressing the first syllable as in a-TRÓphy) and reducing the mid syllable to a quick /ə/ or /ɪ/. Another frequent issue is merging /trɔ/ with a hard /f/ or mispronouncing the final /fi/ as /fiː/ when the word is not elongated. Correct by emphasizing the second syllable: a-TRŌ-phy, ensuring the /tr/ sequence is followed by a distinct rounded vowel /ɔ/ (US) or /ɒ/ (UK), then the final /fi/. Practice with slow, isolated segments and then in a word: a-trə-fi to ə-ˈtrɔ-fi.
US tends to the /əˈtrɔfi/ or /ˈætrəfi/ with rhotic pronunciation and a rounded mid-back vowel in the stressed syllable. UK often uses /əˈtrɒfi/ with a shorter, more open /ɒ/ and non-rhotic tendencies in some speakers. Australian tends to /əˈtɹɒfi/ with a clear /ɹ/ and similar /ɒ/ vowel quality but slightly flatter intonation. The key differences are vowel height and rhoticity; otherwise the stressed syllable retains /tr/ and /fi/ endings. Listening to medical diction samples in each accent will help you internalize the subtle vowel shifts.
The difficulty centers on the consonant cluster /tr/ after a weak initial vowel and the diphthong or monophthong of the stressed vowel in the second syllable, depending on the accent. Non-native speakers often misplace stress, turning it into a-TRÓphy or a-trə-fi with an unclear /ɔ/ vs /ɒ/. Also, the final /fi/ can be misread as /fiː/ or conflated with /frə/. Focus on producing a clear, stressed /tr/ followed by a rounded back vowel /ɔ/ or /ɒ/ and a crisp /fi/.
A distinctive feature is the combination of a weak onset vowel (often schwa in fast speech) with a strong retroflex/rounded /ɔ/ or /ɒ/ in the second syllable before the final /fi/. This requires lifting the tongue body to a mid-back position while keeping the /r/ or /ɹ/ light in rhotic accents. For non-native speakers, mastering the transition from the schwa to the rounded vowel in the stressed syllable is crucial for natural-sounding pronunciation.
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Atrophy comes from the Greek a- (without) and -trophia (nourishment, growth), from trophē. The term entered English medical vocabulary in the early modern period, drawing on classical roots to describe tissue that has not received sufficient nourishment or use. Initially used in the context of bodily weakening and wasting, it broadened to describe neurological and muscular decline, as well as organ-specific diminishment. The sense evolved through anatomical and clinical literature, linking structural reduction with functional impairment. The word has stable usage in medicine, geriatrics, and rehabilitation, and is frequently paired with causative factors (e.g., disuse atrophy, cachectic atrophy) to specify etiology. First known uses appeared in 17th–18th century medical writings, with subsequent standardization in 19th and 20th-century texts as imaging and physiology improved the understanding of tissue degeneration.
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Words that rhyme with "Atrophy"
-rry sounds
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