3 syllables: Lum, ba, go. Stress on ba.
luhm-BAY-goh
/ləˈmbeɪˌɡoʊ/
Lumbago is pronounced luhm-BAY-goh (/ləˈmbeɪˌɡoʊ/). It has three syllables (Lum-ba-go), with the stress on "ba". Lumbago is a medical term for lower back pain, typically of unknown origin. It is used to describe a symptom rather than a specific disease. The word is often encountered in clinical notes and older texts and is pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable.".
nounLumbago is a medical term for lower back pain, typically of unknown origin. It is used to describe a symptom rather than a specific disease. The word is often encountered in clinical notes and older texts and is pronounced with emphasis on the first syllable."
- You might over-articulate the second syllable, making it sound like 'bait-go'. Keep the middle as a subtle /ə/ and the final as /goʊ/. - Some speakers place primary stress on the second syllable (“lum-BAY-go”). Remember, the natural form is primary stress on the first syllable: /ˈlʌmˌbeɡoʊ/. - Another frequent error is confusion between /ɡ/ before /oʊ/; keep the /ɡ/ as a soft, plosive before the long /oʊ/ for clean 'go'.
"The patient presented with lumbago after the fall."
"She has chronic lumbago that flares up during cold weather."
"Lumbago is a common complaint among desk workers."
You say it as LUM-bə-go, with primary stress on LUM. In IPA: US/UK/AU: ˈlʌmˌbeɡoʊ (US) or ˈlʌmˌbeɒɡoʊ (UK/AU). The 'lum' is like 'lum' in 'lumber', the 'ba' is a light schwa, and the final 'go' rhymes with 'go'. Keep the 'l' light and the 'g' soft before 'o'. Audio reference: you can compare with medical pronunciation sites or Pronounce resources.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (placing it on the second syllable) and pronouncing the second syllable as a full 'bait' rather than a reduced 'bə'. Another mistake is hardening the 'g' to a stop as in 'logo' instead of the soft 'go' flow. Correct by emphasizing the first syllable, reducing the middle to a schwa, and keeping the final 'go' as /goʊ/.
In US English, the first syllable carries primary stress and the vowels are lax: /ˈlʌmˌbeɡoʊ/. UK/AU often preserve a slightly tighter /ɒ/ or /ɒɡ/ in the second part, giving /ˈlʌmˌbæɡoʊ/ or /ˈlʌmˌbeɒɡoʊ/, depending on speaker; rhoticity is typically present, with the final /oʊ/ common in all. Overall, the main variation is the second syllable vowel quality and the presence of a slight lengthening before the final /oʊ/.
The challenge lies in the consonant cluster and the vowel reduction: the /lʌm/ onset with a light /l/ followed by a syllabic /m/ can blur into /lm/, and the /beɡoʊ/ portion requires a clean split between /be/ and /ɡoʊ/ with the /ə/ reduction in between. Keeping the secondary stress on the second word part and avoiding an over-articulated 'ba' helps—focus on the exact /beɡoʊ/ sequence.
Yes. The word blends a stressed first syllable with a second syllable that includes a schwa-like vowel; speakers often insert extra emphasis or misplace stress, leading to /ˈlʌmˈbeɡoʊ/ or /ˈlʌmˌbeɡoʊ/. Keeping the second syllable light and shortening the 'lum' slightly helps achieve standard medical pronunciation.
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Lumbago comes from Latin lumbo- meaning loin, and -ago a suffix used in some medical terms to indicate disease or condition. The root lumbo- derives from the Latin limbus or lumbus, referring to the loin or flank region of the body. The suffix -ago appears in medical terms borrowed into English in the 17th–19th centuries, often to indicate an ailment or condition. Historically, lumbago was a catch-all term for lower back pain used in medical writing and by laypeople, sometimes overlapping with sciatica or dorsalgia. Over time, its usage has narrowed in formal medicine but persists in literature and older patient records, and in some languages as a direct loanword for lower back pain. First attested in English as a medical term in the 17th century, it gained popularity in 18th–19th century clinical texts as physicians described lumbar discomfort without a precise etiology.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Lumbago" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Lumbago"
-ngo sounds
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