Lithotripsy is a medical procedure that uses focused ultrasound, laser, or shock waves to break kidney stones into smaller pieces for easier passage. It is typically performed noninvasively and guided by imaging. The term can also refer more broadly to the breaking of calculi in other parts of the urinary or biliary tract under professional supervision.
- You may misplace stress, saying li-OTH-trips-ee instead of li-THO-trips-ee. Align your stress to the 3rd syllable: /ˌlɪ.θoʊˈtrɪp.si/. - The 'th' in litho is a voiceless dental fricative in some languages; practice the /θ/ as in 'think' rather than /t/ or /d/. Then ensure the following /oʊ/ is a rounded, moving vowel. - The /tr/ cluster at the onset of the third syllable can become /tr/ broken by an extra vowel, like li-tho-tri-psey. Practice keeping the /tr/ tight and moving straight into /ɪ/ for the next syllable. - Final syllable should be concise; avoid drawing it out as 'see-ee' or 'sigh' depending on accent. Keep it short and crisp: -si.
- US: emphasize the /ˈtrɪp/ with a strong, crisp /tr/ release and clear /ɪ/ in the stressed syllable; US vowels tend to be more rhotic and the /oʊ/ in /θoʊ/ is a rounded diphthong. - UK: the /θə/ becomes a lighter schwa-like vowel; final /saɪ/ is typical, and non-rhotic tendencies can influence the flow between syllables. - AU: more vowel merging, with a tendency to shorten or smooth the second syllable; pay attention to the final /saɪ/ sound, which can shift toward /si/ or /saɪ/ depending on speaker. Reference IPA for precision.
"The patient underwent lithotripsy to treat a stubborn kidney stone."
"During lithotripsy, ultrasound imaging guides the shock waves to the target stone."
"The doctor explained that lithotripsy reduces the need for surgical extraction."
"Post-procedure, patients may pass stone fragments with little discomfort."
Lithotripsy derives from the Greek roots litho- (stone) and tripsis (crushing, illusion) via the composite lithotripsia meaning stone crushing. The medical term was formed in the context of early modern urology when noninvasive stone treatment began to replace surgical extraction. The prefix litho- appears in terms like lithology, lithification, and lithic, always signaling stone-related concepts. Tripsis, from Greek tripsis, is related to crushing or grinding. The earliest known uses of lithotripsy appear in medical literature from the mid-20th century as technologies progressed from focused ultrasonic to laser and electrohydraulic lithotripsy. The modern term commonly refers to extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), popularized in the 1980s and 1990s with the advent of imaging-guided stone fragmentation. The word’s evolution reflects a shift from invasive stone removal to targeted, noninvasive disruption, aligning with broader trends in minimally invasive urology. Over decades, lithotripsy has expanded to other calculi in biliary and urinary tracts, while retaining its core meaning: stone crushing or disintegration using external energy sources.
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Words that rhyme with "Lithotripsy"
-psy sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Lithotripsy is pronounced li-THO-trips-ee with primary stress on the third syllable: /ˌlɪ.θoʊˈtrɪp.si/ in US and /ˌlɪ.θəˈtrɪp.saɪ/ in UK. Start with a light “li” sound, then a clear “tho” as in 'thor,’ followed by an emphasis on “trip” and ending with “see” or “sy.” Visualize three beats: li-tho-TRIP-sy. An audio reference from medical pronunciation resources or a dictionary with IPA can help confirm the exact vowel lengths and the stressed syllable.
Common mistakes include stressing the wrong syllable (placing the emphasis on the first or second syllable rather than the third), mispronouncing the ‘th’ as in 'thin' vs 'this’ (the sequence: li-THO-TRIP-sy uses a voiced 'th' as in 'this'), and delaying the final '-sy' sound. To correct: place primary stress on the penultimate/third syllable, produce a clear alveolar fricative for ‘th’ followed by a rounded ‘o’ in ‘tho,’ and finish with a light, unstressed ‘sy’ (ee). Practice with slow lip-tap and ensure the /tr/ cluster is clean and not broken by a vowel.
In US pronunciation, you’ll hear /ˌlɪ.θoʊˈtrɪp.si/ with a long 'o' in the second syllable and a clear /ɪ/ in the third. UK pronunciation /ˌlɪ.θəˈtrɪp.saɪ/ features a more centralized first vowel and ends with /saɪ/ (sigh) instead of /si/. Australian tends to blend syllables and may reduce the second syllable to /lə/ or /ləː/ with final /si/ or /saɪ/ depending on speaker. Overall, rhoticity isn’t predominant in UK/AU for this word; US tends to preserve more of the /r/ influence in the stress pattern from American phonology.
Two main challenges: the initial /ˌlɪθoʊ/ includes a subtle ‘th’ blend that isn’t present in all languages, and the multisyllabic stress pattern shifts the emphasis to the third syllable, which can surprise non-native speakers. The /ˌlɪ.θoʊˈtrɪp.si/ sequence has a clear /tr/ cluster that must be released together, not split by an extra vowel. Additionally, the final /-si/ or /-sɪ/ endings vary slightly across accents, making it easy to mispronounce as /-si/ or /-saɪ/ depending on your background.
A distinctive feature is stressing the syllable that contains the /trɪp/ cluster in many speakers’ pronunciations, yielding LI-tho-TRIP-sy /ˌlɪ.θoʊˈtrɪp.si/ (US) or LI-thə-TRIP-sy /ˌlɪ.θəˈtrɪp.saɪ/ (UK/AU). The interplay of the /θ/ and /tr/ sequences requires careful tongue positioning: the tongue tip rises to contact the upper teeth for /θ/, then quickly transitions to a /t/ and /r/ release. This fast sequence often trips learners up when trying to maintain fluency across the three syllables.
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- Shadowing: listen to a native speaker say lithotripsy and repeat in real time, matching rhythm and intonation; aim to hit the stress on the third syllable. - Minimal pairs: practice with 'lithotripe' isn't common, but you can pair with 'lithotripsy' vs 'lithoscope' to feel /θ/ and /tr/ differences; use 'litho' vs 'litho' to check stressed partner words. - Rhythm practice: count 3-beat grouping li-tho-TRIP-sy; after 4-6 slow reps, increase pace to near-normal speaking tempo. - Stress practice: place beats on syllables with a metronome, starting at 60 BPM and increasing to 90-110 BPM as accuracy improves. - Recording: record and compare against a reference; note any drift in /θ/ or /oʊ/ and adjust. - Context sentences: practice two sentences: “The patient underwent lithotripsy for kidney stones.” “Ultrasound-guided lithotripsy minimizes surgical risk.”
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