3 syllables: Oe, de, ma. Stress on de.
oh-DEE-muh
/oʊˈdiːmə/
Oedema is pronounced oh-DEE-muh (/oʊˈdiːmə/). It has three syllables (Oe-de-ma), with the stress on "de". Oedema is a medical term for swelling caused by fluid buildup in body tissues. It is often localized to a limb or area, though it can be systemic in severe cases. The term is used primarily in medical contexts and may appear in patient records, textbooks, and clinical communications.
nounOedema is a medical term for swelling caused by fluid buildup in body tissues. It is often localized to a limb or area, though it can be systemic in severe cases. The term is used primarily in medical contexts and may appear in patient records, textbooks, and clinical communications.
- You might tend to compress oedema into two syllables or pronounce the second syllable with a short vowel. Fix: practice with stress on the second syllable and lengthen the /iː/; keep the final /mə/ light and quick. - Another error is swallowing the medial /d/ or turning it into a flap. Practice with a crisp /d/ between the vowels, not a pleated or tap sound. - Some speakers misplace the initial vowel as /o/ without the diphthong, releasing it as a pure /o/; aim for the US /oʊ/ or UK /əʊ/ glide to avoid a flat start. - In fast speech, the word can sound like ‘odema’ with stress on the first syllable. Slow it down to reestablish the stress pattern and keep the second syllable longer.
"The patient developed oedema in the ankles after prolonged standing."
"Severe oedema requires evaluation for underlying cardiovascular or renal issues."
"The nurse documented mild oedema around the joints in the hands."
Pronunciation is typically o-E- de-ma with primary stress on the second syllable in both British and American usage: /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/ (US) or /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/ (UK). Start with a long 'o' sound, then a soft 'd' followed by a long 'ee' vowel in the second syllable, ending with schwa-like 'mə'. In clinical speech, you may hear /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/ in UK practice; in American contexts, /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/ is common. Listen for the two-stressed rhythm and maintain clear, light 'd' to avoid a heavy stop. Audio reference: Pronounce or medical dictionaries provide native-speaker samples.
Common errors include pronouncing it as a single syllable oste-ema or misplacing stress on the first syllable, giving o-ED-ema or O-ED-ema. Another frequent slip is de-emphasizing the long 'ee' in the second syllable, producing o-ED-eh-ma. To correct: keep the second syllable long: /ˈdiː/; place primary stress on the second syllable: /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/; and end with a light, unstressed 'mə' rather than a strong final consonant.
In US English the leading diphthong is /oʊ/ and the second syllable carries primary stress: /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/. UK English tends toward /əʊ/ for the initial syllable with similar second-syllable stress, often realized as /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/. Australian English mirrors British patterns but may feature a slightly reduced initial /əʊ/ and a more centralized ending vowel depending on speaker. Across all, the crucial feature is the second syllable long /iː/ and a light final /mə/; rhoticity does not alter the core vowel in non-rhotic varieties.
The difficulty lies in the multisyllabic structure with a long second syllable and a final unstressed syllable, plus accidental mispronunciation of the long /iː/ as a short /ɪ/ in fast speech. The initial vowel can also be challenging because speakers map the British /əʊ/ versus American /oʊ/ differently, and the light /d/ can become a clipped stop. By focusing on maintaining the second syllable’s length and a light, unobtrusive final syllable, you can improve accuracy across accents.
A unique feature is the non-stress on the first syllable and the explicit long vowel in the second syllable: o-EE-de-ma with the second syllable carrying primary stress. The first syllable contains a simple /o/ or /əʊ/ depending on region, not a stressed vowel. Practically, you should deliver /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/ (US) or /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/ (UK) with clear separation between syllables and avoid a fused, single-syllable pronunciation.
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- US: /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/. Emphasize the long /oʊ/ into the second syllable; keep rhotic connection in connected speech if appropriate (you can hear the /r/ in some speakers only in linked speech). The /d/? is a crisp alveolar stop. - UK: /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/. The first syllable is a rounded /əʊ/ with less emphasis; keep the same long /iː/ in the second syllable; non-rhoticity means no rhotic trailing consonant. - AU: /ˌəʊˈdiːmə/ or /ˌoʊˈdiːmə/ depending on speaker; similar to UK but more vowel reduction may occur in casual speech. Maintain the long /iː/ and a light /mə/ ending; keep the first syllable less prominent.
Oedema derives from the Greek oedema, from oedein meaning to swell, from the stem oed-/oed- meaning swelling. The term entered English medical usage in the 18th and 19th centuries as medical science adopted Greek and Latin anatomy terminology. The spelling oedema reflects Greek origin with the anglicized -ema ending. In some varieties of English, edema is used as an Americanized form; oedema is the traditional British usage in medical writing. The word’s semantic core—swelling due to fluid accumulation—has remained stable since its earliest medical descriptions, but the terminology has narrowed to reference specific pathophysiology (lymphatic or venous insufficiency) and different clinical contexts. First known uses appear in medical dictionaries and treatises from the late 17th to early 19th centuries, with evolving definitions that distinguish edema from other swelling causes such as inflammation. The pronunciation and spelling variations reflect the global spread of medical education and standardized terminology across English-speaking communities.
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Words that rhyme with "Oedema"
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