5 syllables: Hy, po, geu, si, a. Stress on geu.
heye-poh-GYOO-zee-uh
/haɪpoʊˈɡjuːziə/
Hypogeusia is pronounced heye-poh-GYOO-zee-uh (/haɪpoʊˈɡjuːziə/). It has five syllables (Hy-po-geu-si-a), with the stress on "geu". As a noun, a medical term meaning a reduced ability to taste or a diminished sense of taste. It refers to impaired gustation, often resulting from injury, disease, medications, or aging, and is used primarily in clinical or scientific contexts.
nounA medical term meaning a reduced ability to taste or a diminished sense of taste. It refers to impaired gustation, often resulting from injury, disease, medications, or aging, and is used primarily in clinical or scientific contexts.
How to Pronounce Hypogeusia
"Her hypogeusia was noted after the patient recovered from the infection, though some taste remained."
"The clinician discussed hypogeusia as a potential side effect of the prescribed antibiotics."
"In some cases of long COVID, hypogeusia can persist for months and affect nutrition."
Break it into syllables: hy-po-GE-u-sia. IPA (US/UK): /ˌhaɪ.poʊˈɡjuːziə/ (US) and /ˌhaɪ.pəˈɡjuːzɪə/ (UK). Primary stress on the third syllable: geo- in this word sounds like 'gyoo' as in 'gyu'. Start with /haɪ/ then /poʊ/ or /poː/ depending on accent, then /ˈɡjuː/ followed by /ziə/ or /zɪə/. You’ll want a crisp /ɡ/ and a rounded /juː/ after it; the trailing /sia/ or /sɪə/ should be light and quick. You’ll hear the emphasis on 'GEU' with a subtle secondary beat on the 'po'.
Common errors: misplacing stress (treating it as hypo-GE-us-ia; correct stress on GEU-sia, the third syllable), mispronouncing the /ɡjuː/ cluster as /ɡj/ or breaking it into /ɡjuː/ with undue pause. Another frequent error is conflating -sia with -sia as /siə/ instead of /zɪə/ or /siə/, depending on accent. Correction: practice the /ˈɡjuː/ sequence tightly together, avoid linking the 'geu' as a separate syllable, and keep the final /ə/ as a weak schwa unless careful with rhythm in careful speech.
US tends to fully articulate the /poʊ/ in the second syllable and maintain a clear /ˈɡjuː/; UK often has a slightly shorter preceding vowel and a crisper /ɡjuː/ with less vowel duration in the second syllable; AU mirrors UK patterns but may show more vowel reduction in rapid speech. The key is the /ˈɡjuː/ cluster; rhoticity is minimal in UK/AU; Americans may show rhoticity patterns in surrounding vowels but not within this word, so focus on the /ˈɡjuː/ and the final /ziə/ or /zɪə/ depending on the flow. IPA guides help compare: US /ˌhaɪ.poʊˈɡjuːziə/; UK /ˌhaɪ.pəˈɡjuːzɪə/; AU /ˌhaɪ.pəˈɡjuːzjə/.
Three challenges: the multi-syllabic length, the /ɡjuː/ sequence which can run quickly and blend with following consonants, and the final /sia/ leading to either /ziə/ or /zɪə/. The stress pattern places emphasis on the third syllable; beginners often misplace stress on the second or fourth syllable. Practice by isolating /ˈɡjuː/ and rehearsing the transition into the final /ziə/ with a slight delay to keep the last syllable crisp.
No silent letters in standard pronunciation. Every letter contributes to the syllable rhythm: hy- (unstressed), po- (unstressed), GEU- cluster carrying primary stress, -sia (unstressed). The challenge is not silent letters but the rapid sequencing of sounds, especially the /ˈɡjuː/ portion and the final /ziə/. Focus on linking consonants and vowels smoothly rather than pausing between clusters.
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Hypogeusia derives from the Greek prefix hypo- ‘under, less than normal’ plus ge/ gē (taste) from geusis (the act of tasting) in turn linked to gousa, from haDan. The combining form geusia is tied to gustation, from Latin gustare ‘to taste’, which itself traces to the Greek geusthai ‘to taste’. The prefix hypo- signals reduced or deficient state. The term first appears in medical literature of the 19th or early 20th century as pharmacology and neurology formalized sensory disorders. Over time, hypogeusia has been used to describe partial taste loss, distinct from ageusia (complete loss) and dysgeusia (distorted taste). Its usage expands in otolaryngology, neurology, and oncology when documenting sensory complaints or adverse effects of therapy. In modern practice, hypogeusia is increasingly used alongside hyposmia and dysgeusia to categorize gustatory dysfunction, with ongoing research into receptor pathways, cranial nerves (VII, IX, X), and central gustatory processing. Historical cases often framed hypogeusia as a transient symptom resolving with treatment, though chronic cases have driven deeper investigations into neural plasticity and regeneration of taste buds.
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Words that rhyme with "Hypogeusia"
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