2 syllables: Tor, sades De Pointes. Stress on sades De Pointes.
tawr-SADZ-duh-poynts
/tɔɹˈsædz də pɔɪnts/
Torsades De Pointes is pronounced tawr-SADZ-duh-poynts (/tɔɹˈsædz də pɔɪnts/). It has two syllables (Tor-sades De Pointes), with the stress on "sades De Pointes". As a noun, a rare, potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia characterized by rapid, irregular QRS complexes that originate in the heart’s ventricles and resemble torsion; it often precedes or degenerates into ventricular fibrillation. The term derives from French medical nomenclature and describes twisting (torsade) of points (de pointes) on the ECG. Accurate pronunciation is essential for clear clinical communication.
nounA rare, potentially life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia characterized by rapid, irregular QRS complexes that originate in the heart’s ventricles and resemble torsion; it often precedes or degenerates into ventricular fibrillation. The term derives from French medical nomenclature and describes twisting (torsade) of points (de pointes) on the ECG. Accurate pronunciation is essential for clear clinical communication.
"The patient experienced episodes of torsades de pointes after prolonged QT, requiring immediate defibrillation."
"In medical seminars, clinicians emphasize correcting electrolyte imbalances to prevent torsades de pointes."
"The ECG showed polymorphic VT consistent with torsades de pointes during the arrhythmic event."
Pronounce as: tohr- SAHD de pahnt?z. In IPA: US /tɔːrˈsæd də pɔ̃t/, UK /tɔːˈsæd də pɔ̃t/ or US /tɔːrˈsæd də pwɒ̃t/ depending on speaker. Stress pattern: ta-RAH-? Actually the main stress is on the second syllable of the first word: tor-SADEZ. The second word ‘de’ is light; ‘Pointes’ rhymes with ‘ponts’ in French. For clarity, say and hear the cluster “tors-ADD” in rapid speech and finish with “de poont” with nasal vowel. Audio reference: consult Pronounce or standard medical pronunciation resources.”,
Common errors: (1) Stress misplaced on the first or last syllable of ‘torsades’—correct to stress the second syllable: tor-SADES. (2) Anglicizing the nasal ‘ont’ in ‘Pointes’ as a plain o sound; fix by using the nasalized French vowel [pɔ̃t]. (3) Saying ‘De’ as a strong English /di/; keep it light as /də/. Practice by isolating each part and then linking. IPA cues: torsades /tɔːrˈsæd/; de /də/; pointes /pɔ̃t/. Practice with minimal pairs to solidify the nasal vowel and the silent or lightly pronounced de.”,
US tends to reduce the final nasal as /tɔːrˈsæd də pɔ̃t/ with rhotic r; UK often uses non-rhotic /tɔːˈsæd də pɒ̃t/ and may keep closer to French vowels in ‘pɔ̃t’; AU often mirrors US with a slightly broader vowel in /tɔːrˈsæd də pɔ̃t/. The most noticeable differences: r-coloring in US; vowel quality in final nasal; clearance of the final syllable in de and the nasal in pointes. In all variants, the stress pattern remains on the second syllable of torsades, and the nasal vowel in ‘Pointes’ remains distinctive but may be clipped or pronounced more openly depending on speaker.”,
Because it blends a multisyllabic French root with English procedural speech: the French nasal vowel in ‘pointes’ (/pɔ̃t/), the schwa-like /də/ in the connective, and the acoustically subtle stress shift in torsades. The sequence of consonants in ‘torsades’ (t-ɔːr-sæd) and the final nasal make it easy to misplace stress or substitute an English vowel. The challenge is maintaining the nasal vowel and the French ‘de’ with light emphasis while keeping the rhythm crisp in clinical communication.
No silent letters in the conventional sense, but the word pair uses a silent-ish treatment: the French 'de' is lightly pronounced as /də/ rather than a fully enunciated English /diː/. The final 'Pointes' is pluralized but the s is often less audible in rapid speech, especially in American and Australian practice. Stress pattern emphasizes torsades: /tɔːrˈsæd/. Overall, maintain the nasal vowel in 'pɔ̃t' and keep ‘de’ light to preserve medical enunciation.
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US: rhotic r, broader American vowels; UK: non-rhotic, smoother vowels, palatalization minimal; AU: resembles US but with slightly clipped final vowels. Vowel details: torsades has /ɔː/ in British English, /ɔːr/ or /ɔːr/ in US; Pointes includes nasal /ɔ̃/ in many accents. Pay attention to de as a schwa-like /də/, not /diː/. IPA references: US /tɔːrˈsæd də pɔ̃t/; UK /tɔːˈsæd də pɔ̃t/; AU /təˈsæd də pɔ̃t/. Accent tips include reducing post-consonantal vowels and maintaining crisp alveolar stops at /t/; keep r-coloring only in rhotic accents.
The term torsades de pointes originates from French, used historically in cardiology to describe a distinctive twisting appearance of the QRS complexes on the electrocardiogram. Torsade stems from the French word torsade, meaning a twist or twirl, referring to the twisting of points on the ECG tracing during this arrhythmia. De pointes translates roughly as “of points” or “of the points,” tied to the sharp, jagged peaks on the tracing that appear to rotate or twist as the rhythm changes. The language of origin is French, with adoption into English medical vernacular in the late 19th to early 20th century as cardiology formalized ECG terminology. First known uses appear in electrocardiographic descriptions during pioneering cardiac electrophysiology work, where clinicians described characteristic polymorphic VT patterns and their association with prolonged QT intervals. Over time, the phrase became standardized in medical literature and guidelines to denote this specific arrhythmic phenomenon, increasingly used in case reports, textbooks, and clinical protocols. The compound nature—torsades (twists) de pointes (of points)—captures both the morphological filing of the ECG and the clinical signature of risk, making it a precise historic label that persists in contemporary practice.
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Words that rhyme with "Torsades De Pointes"
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