3 syllables: Mas, ti, tis. Stress on Mas.
MAS-tit-is
/ˈmæstɪtɪs/
Mastitis is pronounced MAS-tit-is (/ˈmæstɪtɪs/). It has three syllables (Mas-ti-tis), with the stress on "Mas". Mastitis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of breast tissue, which can include redness, swelling, warmth, and pain, often accompanied by fever. It commonly affects nursing women but can occur in non-lactating individuals as well. The term is used in clinical contexts to describe this inflammatory infection, requiring medical attention and sometimes antibiotics.
nounMastitis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of breast tissue, which can include redness, swelling, warmth, and pain, often accompanied by fever. It commonly affects nursing women but can occur in non-lactating individuals as well. The term is used in clinical contexts to describe this inflammatory infection, requiring medical attention and sometimes antibiotics.
How to Pronounce Mastitis
"The doctor diagnosed mastitis and prescribed antibiotics."
"She developed mastitis after weaning, which caused swelling and tenderness."
"A nurse monitoring new mothers looked for signs of mastitis to prevent complications."
Mastitis is pronounced /mæˈstaɪtɪs/ in US and UK English, with the primary stress on the second syllable: mas- TIS. The sounds break down as: /m/ as in 'm', /æ/ as in 'cat', /s/ as in 'snake', /t/ as in 'top', /aɪ/ as in 'eye', /t/ again, /ɪ/ as in 'kit', /s/ as in 'see'. Mouth positions: start with a relaxed jaw, raise the tongue to touch the alveolar ridge for /t/ and /s/, and then glide into /aɪ/ by opening the jaw and tensing the tongue slightly. Listen for the crisp /t/ release before the final /ɪs/. Audio reference: you can check pronunciation videos on Pronounce or Forvo for native speakers saying “mastitis.”
Common errors include misplacing the syllable stress (saying mas- Titis or mast-itis with wrong emphasis) and mispronouncing the /aɪ/ as a short /ɪ/ or /eɪ/. Another frequent error is blending the final consonants so it sounds like /mæˈstɪtəs/ instead of /mæˈstaɪtɪs/. To correct: practice stressing -staɪ- in the second syllable, ensure the /aɪ/ vowel is a true long diphthong starting at /a/ moving toward /ɪ/, and clearly articulate the final /t/ with a light release before /ɪs/.
In US, UK, and AU, mastitis is /mæˈstaɪtɪs/. Differences are subtle: US tends to reduce the /t/ in rapid speech and may have a crisper /t/; UK often keeps a slightly sharper /t/ and could sound closer to /ˈmæstɪtɪs/ in fast speech, though standard is /mæˈstaɪtɪs/. Australian tends to a flatter intonation with similar consonants; vowels in /æ/ can be slightly broader. Overall all three share the /æ/ initial, /aɪ/ in the stressed syllable, and /tɪs/ at the end, with minor vowel reductions in casual speech.
The difficulty lies in the stress placement on the second syllable and the long diphthong /aɪ/ in the nucleus of the second syllable, which can blur in rapid speech. Some speakers produce a tighter /t/ release, making the word sound like /mæˈstɪtɪs/. Practice with the full sequence mas-TI-tis, emphasizing /staɪ/ and the final /tɪs/. Visual cues from your mouth: start with a wide open jaw for /æ/; then the tongue reaches the alveolar ridge for /s/ and /t/; and the /aɪ/ diphthong requires a small aperture and forward tongue position.
A unique feature is the combination of a stressed syllable with a mid to high front vowel /aɪ/ forming the nucleus of the second syllable, followed by a crisp /t/ and a final /ɪs/. The word’s Rhythm: two strong consonant sounds near the turn ( /t/ then /ɪ/ ), with the primary stress on the second syllable and a suffix -itis that is common to medical terms. Understanding the phonemic sequence helps you approximate the timing: m- /mæ/, s- /s/, daɪ- /aɪ/, -tɪs /tɪs/.
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US: /mæˈstaɪtɪs/, rhotic; UK: /mæˈstaɪtɪs/, often very similar but with slightly tighter final consonants; AU: /mæˈstaɪtɪs/, with a more even vowel quality and less rhotic variation. Vowel /æ/ can be broader in AU; /aɪ/ may be longer in some US accents. Across all, the rhythm is 2 syllables with strong second syllable stress; ensure the /t/ is released clearly before /ɪs/. IPA cues: US /mæˈstaɪtɪs/, UK /mæˈstaɪtɪs/, AU /mæˈstaɪtɪs/. Practice focusing on the diphthong and final consonant crispness.
Mastitis comes from the combination of the Latin word mast- meaning breast and -itis an -itis suffix indicating inflammation or a disease. The root mast- derives from Latin mamma/mamilla (breast) through Greek mast-, with the modern medical usage solidifying in English during the 18th and 19th centuries as anatomical terminology expanded. The suffix -itis first appeared in English to denote inflammatory conditions borrowed from Greek -itis. Early medical texts used terms such as mastitides in classical Latin, evolving into the modern mastitis by the 19th century. Over time, the word widened from a strictly veterinary term in some contexts to a standard diagnosis in human medicine, retaining its core meaning of breast tissue inflammation, typically associated with infection or blocked ducts. First known uses in English appear in medical dictionaries around the 1800s, with formal clinical adoption growing through obstetrics and infectious disease literature. The word’s semantic scope has remained stable: an inflammatory condition of breast tissue, often linked to lactation or infection, requiring clinical assessment and appropriate treatment.
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Words that rhyme with "Mastitis"
-tis sounds
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