5 syllables: Me, nin, go, ce, le. Stress on go.
men-ing-GOH-seel
/mɛnɪŋˈɡoʊsiːl/
Meningocele is pronounced men-ing-GOH-seel (/mɛnɪŋˈɡoʊsiːl/). It has five syllables (Me-nin-go-ce-le), with the stress on "go". Meningocele is a congenital defect where the meninges protrude through a gap in the skull or spine, forming a sac-filled bulge. It is a specific type of neural tube defect with varying severity and prognosis. The term combines medical roots to describe the protective membranes surrounding the brain or spinal cord and their herniation.
nounMeningocele is a congenital defect where the meninges protrude through a gap in the skull or spine, forming a sac-filled bulge. It is a specific type of neural tube defect with varying severity and prognosis. The term combines medical roots to describe the protective membranes surrounding the brain or spinal cord and their herniation.
"The infant was diagnosed with a meningocele and underwent surgical repair soon after birth."
"Meningocele is distinguished from myelomeningocele by the absence of spinal cord tissue in the protruding sac."
"Prenatal imaging can detect meningocele, allowing for planning of postnatal treatment."
Pronounce it meh-NIN-go-seeL, with the primary stress on the second syllable. The first syllable sounds like ‘meh’ (short e), the second syllable ‘NIN’ has a short i, then a soft ‘go’ and a final ‘seal’ but with a soft ‘l’ ending. IPA (US/UK): US: /ˈmɛnɪŋoˌsiːl/; UK: /ˈmɛnɪndʒəˌsiːl/. The ‘ce’ at the end is pronounced as a long “ee” in standard varieties, not as “se-l.” Practice by segmenting as men-in-go-le, then blend to meneen-go-seel with final seat-like lisp-free l.
Common mistakes include misplacing stress (placing it on the first syllable always) and mispronouncing the -ngo- as a hard ‘ngk’ cluster. Also, readers often shorten the second syllable to ‘ning’ without the soft ‘g’ following; and the final -cele is sometimes said as -sel or -seal with a hard c. Correction: stress on the second syllable: men-ING-o-cele; pronounce the ‘ng’ as in ‘finger’ and end with a clear ‘-seal’ rather than ‘-sel’. Using a slow, deliberate beat helps.
In US English, the word usually lands on the second syllable with a clear ‘ee-l’ ending: /ˈmɛnɪŋoˌsiːl/. UK uses a palatalized first consonant cluster 'n-DGE' in the middle: /ˈmɛnɪndʒəˌsiːl/; the syllable is a little more clipped, and the final vowel is long. Australian tends to have a flatter intonation with similar consonants to US but with a slightly more centralized vowel in the second syllable: /ˈmɛnɪŋoˌsiːl/. Focus on the /dʒ/ in the middle cluster in UK/AU when singing the second syllable.
It contains the multi-syllabic, mixed consonant cluster -ngi-, the 'ng' sound plus a 'j' or 'dʒ' sound in some accents, and a long final -eeL sound that can trip speakers. The stress pattern is not intuitive: second syllable stress followed by a compound-like ending. Also, the end -cele may tempt speakers to say -sel. Practice the middle 'ngo' with an affricate /ndʒ/ in UK/AU varieties and keep a steady, unbroken pace through all four syllables.
A typographical hint: say ‘meh-NING-oh-seal’ while keeping the middle consonant crisp as in ‘gin’ and the final 'seal' as a single smooth syllable. This helps avoid turning it into ‘men-in-jay-rose’ or collapsing syllables. Visualize the word as ME-nin-GO-seal, accenting the -GO- as a reinforced onset so your jaw drops slightly into the middle sound without over-gesturing.
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Meningocele traces its roots to the Latin mens, mentis (mind) and the Greek kounos/ce_ kela? (a vault or covering) combined with the medical suffix -cele, from Greek kele meaning swelling or tumor. The first element mening- comes from meninges, the membranes enveloping the central nervous system, standardized in medical usage in the 19th century as anatomy and surgery advanced. The suffix -cele appears in many medical terms to denote herniation or swelling, as in encephalocele or hydrosalpinx, and it was established in English scientific vocabulary during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The word meningocoele (less common variant spelling meningoccele) entered clinical lexicon as imaging and surgical descriptions refined, with attention to distinguishing meningocoele from more complex neural tube defects like myelomeningocele. Over time, as epidemiology and congenital anomaly classification evolved, meningocele became a precise term used in radiology, pediatrics, and neurosurgery to denote meninges herniation without neural tissue in the sac. The term’s evolution reflects a push toward specificity in congenital CNS anomalies, enhancing communication among clinicians, researchers, and families. First known uses appear in late 19th to early 20th century medical literature, aligning with broader standardization of anatomical terms for membranes and neural structures.
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Words that rhyme with "Meningocele"
-ple sounds
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