4 syllables: he, ma, to, ma. Stress on to.
hem-uh-TOH-muh
/hɛməˈtoʊmə/
hematoma is pronounced hem-uh-TOH-muh (/hɛməˈtoʊmə/). It has four syllables (he-ma-to-ma), with the stress on "to". A hematoma is a localized swelling filled with blood outside of a blood vessel, usually caused by injury. It forms when blood leaks from damaged capillaries and collects in surrounding tissues, producing a raised, sometimes discolored lump. The term is used in medical reporting and patient contexts to describe this collection of clotted blood beneath the skin or within organs.
A hematoma is a localized swelling filled with blood outside of a blood vessel, usually caused by injury. It forms when blood leaks from damaged capillaries and collects in surrounding tissues, producing a raised, sometimes discolored lump. The term is used in medical reporting and patient contexts to describe this collection of clotted blood beneath the skin or within organs.
"The patient developed a hematoma after the surgical procedure, requiring monitoring."
"A facial hematoma caused visible bruising and swelling around the cheek."
"The radiologist noted a hematoma around the kidney following trauma."
Pronounce as heh-MA-toh-ma, with primary stress on the third syllable: /ˌhiː.məˈtoʊ.mə/ in US, /ˌhed.məˈtɑː.mə/ in UK, and /ˌhed.məˈtɔː.mə/ in AU. Break it into four morphemes: he- ma- to- ma. Start with an initial syllable that sounds like ‘he’ in 'he' but relaxed; the second ‘ma’ is a quick, light vowel; the primary stress falls on ‘to’; finish with a schwa-like ‘ma’. Use a clear, clinical tone in professional contexts.
Common errors: misplacing stress (putting it on the first or second syllable); pronouncing ‘to’ as ‘toe’ instead of a reduced, mid vowel; and mangling the final ‘ma’ into a stronger ‘mah’ rather than a light schwa. Correct by emphasizing the third syllable, using a reduced first vowel, and finishing with a soft, relaxed ‘ma’.
In US, stress on the third syllable with a clear ‘to’ as /ˈtoʊ/; UK and AU reduce the middle vowels slightly and may exhibit a sharper /t/ release in the second syllable. Rhoticity is present in US, affecting the ‘r’ in related terms but not in hematoma itself; non-rhotic UK editions may drop post-vocalic r patterns in connected speech, though hematoma remains unaffected in pronunciation. Overall, the key differences are vowel quality and flapped/t- realization in rapid speech.
It challenges you with four syllables, a non-intuitive stress pattern (third syllable), and a sequence of mid vowels in quick succession. The final syllable is lightly pronounced, and the initial vowel is a tense, high sound that can lead to mispronouncing as ‘hee-ma-TOE-ma’ vs ‘hee-MA-TO-ma.’ Pay attention to keeping the middle syllable short and letting the final mute syllable trail softly.
Is the first syllable pronounced with a hard ‘h’ followed by a long ‘ee’ or a short, relaxed ‘eh’? In hematoma, the first syllable begins with /ˈh/ cluster, but the actual vowel is a reduced, unstressed schwa-like sound in natural speech; the primary vowel focus is on the third syllable /ˈtoʊ/. The correct pattern is hi-MA-to-ma with a light, unstressed initial, a mid vowel in the second, and a stressed long diphthong in the third.
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The word hematoma comes from the Greek haima, ‘blood,’ and tâmma, ‘cut, section, wound.’ The combining form haemat- (also hemat-) enters English via Late Latin haematoma, derived from Greek haima. The term entered English medical vocabulary in the 17th–19th centuries as anatomical knowledge expanded, with haematoma used to describe a localized blood collection due to vessel leakage. In modern usage, hematoma contrasts with edema (fluid accumulation) and hemorrhage (active bleeding). The evolution reflects increasing precision in describing post-traumatic or post-surgical blood collections: a static, localized clot that can be subcutaneous, intramuscular, or within a body cavity. First known uses appear in early medical treatises that formalized symptom descriptions, and the term has since become standard across clinical specialties, radiology, and patient education.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "hematoma" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "hematoma" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "hematoma"
-gma sounds
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