6 syllables: Pe, ri, co, ro, ni, tis. Stress on co.
pur-ik-OH-roh-nit-is
/pɚɪˈkoʊroʊnɪtɪs/
Pericoronitis is pronounced pur-ik-OH-roh-nit-is (/pɚɪˈkoʊroʊnɪtɪs/). It has six syllables (Pe-ri-co-ro-ni-tis), with the stress on "co". Pericoronitis is the inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding a partially erupted tooth, most often a wisdom tooth. It can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty with chewing or opening the mouth. The term is used in dental and medical contexts to describe localized infection or irritation around the tooth crown.
nounPericoronitis is the inflammation of the soft tissue surrounding a partially erupted tooth, most often a wisdom tooth. It can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty with chewing or opening the mouth. The term is used in dental and medical contexts to describe localized infection or irritation around the tooth crown.
"During the eruption of wisdom teeth, pericoronitis may develop if food particles become trapped beneath the operculum."
"The patient presented with painful swelling and limited jaw movement consistent with acute pericoronitis."
"Management includes good oral hygiene, irrigation, and sometimes antibiotics or surgical intervention."
Pronounce as per-i-ko-RO-ni-tis with primary stress on the RO-sound: /ˌpɛrɪkɔˈroʊnɪtɪs/. Break it into four morphemes: peri- (around), koron- (crown), -itis (inflammation). Start with /ˌpɛrɪ/, glide into /kɔˈroʊ/ for the crown portion, then /nɪtɪs/. Slight emphasis on the middle syllable helps keep the word fluid in clinical speech. Audio reference: you can hear this pattern in medical pronunciation databases or dental education videos labeled with “pericoronitis.” Keywords: peri, koron, itis, crown, inflammation.
Common errors include saying /ˌpɛrɪkoʊˈroʊnɪtɪs/ with the second syllable stressed or misplacing the stress on the -ro- of coron-; also collapsing the i in -itis to a short /ɪ/ instead of /ɪ/. To correct: keep peri- as /ˈpɛrɪ/ (unstressed to mildly stressed) and place primary stress on the /roʊ/ of koron, yielding /ˌpɛrɪkɔˈroʊnɪtɪs/. Practice by segmenting: peri-koron-itis, and slow it down at first.
In US, UK, and AU, the core syllables stay /ˌpɛrɪkɔˈroʊnɪtɪs/, but rhoticity affects the /r/; US and AU speakers vocalize a rhotic /ɹ/ in all rhotic contexts, while some UK speakers may have a non-rhotic tendency in fast speech, slightly reducing post-vocalic r coloring. The vowel in /ɔː/ can be closer to /ɔ/ in US and AU than the more rounded /ɔː/ in some UK speech. Volume, pace, and vowel length may shift in rapid clinical reading. Practicing with region-specific audio helps align your pronunciation with the target accent.
The difficulty lies in the multi-morphemic structure and the sequence koron- with the stress on -ro-, plus the combination of a schwa-like /ɪ/ in peri- and a long /oʊ/ in koron-. The mid-back vowel /ɔ/ combined with /roʊ/ can cause a transient vowel shift when spoken quickly, and non-native speakers often misplace stress between peri and koron. Breaking it into four syllables and practicing slow, then normal speed with IPA guidance helps stabilize articulation.
A unique feature is the smoothly connected /koron/ sequence where /kɔ/ and /roʊ/ meet; ensuring the /r/ is clearly pronounced before the /oʊ/ helps differentiate koron- from kor- segments. The suffix -itis should be clearly heard as /ɪtɪs/, not conflated with /ɪtəs/. This separation is crucial in clinical diction to avoid mishearing as ‘coronitis’ or ‘periodontitis.’
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Pericoronitis derives from Greek: peri- meaning around, corōn meaning crown (of a tooth), and -itis indicating inflammation. The term merges peri- (around) with koron (crown) and -itis (inflammatory condition). The earliest uses in dental literature appear in 19th to early 20th-century medical texts as clinicians described inflammations surrounding erupting teeth, especially mandibular and maxillary third molars. The name crystallized as dental pathology terminology standardized; it references localized infection or inflammatory response near the tooth crown, typically due to impaction or partial eruption. Over time, the word has remained specialized to dentistry and oral medicine, distinguishing peri-coronal tissue inflammation from broader gingival or periodontal diseases. The phonetic spelling reflects classical roots (peri- + koron + -itis) with stress patterns that align to medical lexicon conventions, emphasizing the prefix and stem’s clarity for clinicians and students alike.
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Words that rhyme with "Pericoronitis"
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