SOO-churz
/ˈsutʃɚz/
sutures is pronounced SOO-churz (/ˈsutʃɚz/). Sutures are fibrous joints where bones are held together by tough tissue, often allowing minimal movement. In biology, it also refers to the surgical stitching used to close wounds or incisions. The word appears in medical contexts (anatomy, surgery) and in dental or cranial discussions, typically as plural noun for bands or stitches and singular for a stitch itself.
Sutures are fibrous joints where bones are held together by tough tissue, often allowing minimal movement. In biology, it also refers to the surgical stitching used to close wounds or incisions. The word appears in medical contexts (anatomy, surgery) and in dental or cranial discussions, typically as plural noun for bands or stitches and singular for a stitch itself.
"The skull sutures allow for slight movement during early development."
"The surgeon placed multiple sutures to close the wound securely."
"Dental sutures are used after implant procedures to support healing."
You say it as SUR-chorz, IPA US /ˈsuːtʃərz/. The primary stress is on the first syllable. The 'ture' sounds combine to /tʃər/ (like 'ture' in texture). End with /z/ in US. For UK, it’s /ˈsjuːtʃəz/ with a slight initial y-sound after the S: you-tchurez. Mouth positions: start with a vertical posture for 's', then a light front-tongue contact to glide into /uː/; the /tʃ/ is a single affricate produced by blocking air with the tongue tip behind the upper teeth then releasing into the central vowel /ə/ or /ər/ depending on accent. Audio reference you can listen to: [Forvo or dictionary audio example in Cambridge/Oxford].
Common errors: 1) Mispronouncing /tʃ/ as a simple /t/ followed by /ʃ/ separately; 2) Reducing the /ˈsuː/ to a short /su/ or misplacing the stress, making it /ˈsutʃərz/. Correction: produce /suː/ with a longer vowel and blend into /tʃ/ quickly; keep primary stress on first syllable; ensure the final /z/ is voiced. Practice by saying 'sue-tures' quickly and then 'soo-tures' as one smooth syllable cluster. Listen to medical dictionary pronunciations to calibrate vowel length and consonant blending.
US: /ˈsuːtʃərz/ with rhotic r and clear /z/; UK: often /ˈsjuːtʃəz/ with non-rhoticity in some dialects, smoother /ə/ at end; AU: /ˈsuːtʃəz/ or /ˈsutjəz/ with less vocalic reduction and more rounded vowels. The main differences are initial consonant cluster fusion and the vowel before /tʃ/: US tends to a clearer /uː/, UK may heighten /juː/ in some speakers; AU blends can be closer to /sutjəz/ in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the abrupt /tʃ/ affricate immediately after a long /uː/ vowel and the final voiced /z/. People often misplace the tongue for /t/ and /ʃ/ separately or insert extra sounds. Additionally, the plural /-ərz/ ending challenges non-rhotic speakers who skip linking sounds, and some learners mispronounce as 'soot-ures' or 'soot-yers.' Focus on blending /suː/ into /tʃər/ and keeping the /z/ clear. IPA cues and mouth positions help stabilize the sequence.
Yes: the 'ture' portion functions as /tʃər/ in many dialects, merging the t with the following r-colored schwa. This can cause learners to over-articulate or sound like 'sut-tyers' or 'sutt-ers.' The recommended trick is to keep the tongue in a single blade position from /t/ into /tʃ/ without releasing a separate /t/ before /ʃ/. End with a soft, voiced /z/.
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Suture comes from Latin sutura, meaning seam or stitch, from the verb suere, to sew. The plural sutures emerged in English from Medieval Latin suturae, maintaining the sense of sewn seams. Early medical Latin borrowed sutura to describe fibrous joints where bones are joined by fibrous tissue, a meaning that extended to surgical stitching. In anatomy, the term was used to describe the fibrous unions between skull bones before full ossification, with the sense of “a seam where bones meet.” By the 18th and 19th centuries, sutures were established as a medical term in anatomy and surgery, and modern usage covers both the anatomical joints (cranial sutures, mandibular sutures) and the act/property of stitching wounds. The pronunciation settled as /ˈsuːtʃərz/ in American practice, with variations in other dialects. Over time, the term broadened into specialized contexts, including dentistry and orthopedic repair, while retaining its core meaning of a seam or stitching that unites or repairs tissues. First known use in English appears in medical texts from the 17th century, reflecting a Latin-rooted borrowing that became foundational in anatomy and surgical practice.
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Words that rhyme with "sutures"
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