3 syllables: U, re, ters. Stress on U.
YUUR-it-urz
/ˈjʊrɪtɚz/
Ureters is pronounced YUUR-it-urz (/ˈjʊrɪtɚz/). It has three syllables (U-re-ters), with the stress on "U". Ureters is the plural form of ureter, the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. As a medical term, it is used in anatomy, physiology, and clinical discussions. The word is two-syllable in most casual usage but commonly pronounced with three syllables in careful speech: you-RE-ters, emphasizing the middle syllable.
nounUreters is the plural form of ureter, the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. As a medical term, it is used in anatomy, physiology, and clinical discussions. The word is two-syllable in most casual usage but commonly pronounced with three syllables in careful speech: you-RE-ters, emphasizing the middle syllable.
How to Pronounce Ureters
"The surgeon identified both ureters during the abdominal operation."
"In many cases, ureters can be affected by stones that cause severe pain."
"An injury to the ureters requires prompt recognition and surgical repair."
Pronounce as ju-’EER-ə-terz, with primary stress on the first syllable. IPA US: ˈjɊə-rɪ-tərz or ˈjʊə-rɪ-tərz; UK: ˈjʊə-rə-təz. Start with a rounded, fronted vowel in the first syllable, then a clear /r/ before ?-ə-/-tərz. If you’re precise, think YOU-er-ters, not you-RE-ters. Audio reference: use medical pronunciation resources or dictionaries with audio to hear the three-syllable flow.
Common errors: 1) Merging /j/ with a long /uː/ yielding you-oo-riters instead of ju-ER. 2) Skipping the middle syllable, saying you-rters or you-oo-ters. 3) Confusing /tərz/ with /tə-rz/ leading to unclear final syllable. Correction: keep /ˈjʊə/ at the start, insert a distinct /r/ before the /ɪ/ (the middle vowel), and emphasize the /tərz/ at the end; slow it to three clear beats: JU-ər-ters.
US: ˈjʊə-rɪ-tərz with a rhotic /r/ and a relatively lighter second vowel. UK: typically ˈjʊə-rə-təz, with a schwa in the middle syllable and less pronounced second vowel; non-rhotic speakers may reduce /r/ after vowels. AU: similar to US but with Australian vowel shift, often longer /ə/ in the middle and a more non-rhotic feel in casual speech. Ensure the /r/ is pronounced in rhotic accents; in non-rhotic UK, post-vocalic /r/ becomes silent in many contexts.
Because of three linked features: the diphthong in the first syllable /ˈjʊə/ that blends a high front vowel with an /ə/ glide; the /ˈr/ between vowels in rapid speech; and the final /tərz/ cluster that keeps the t and r articulation distinct before the z. The combination can blur in fast medical discourse. Practice by segmenting: JU-ə-terz, enforcing a crisp /r/ before the /t/.
Ureters typically takes primary stress on the first syllable (ˈjʊə-), with the remaining syllables forming a lighter, secondary pattern. In careful, medical reading, you’ll keep three clear beats: JU-ər-ters; in quick speech, it may compress slightly but keep the first syllable prominent to avoid misinterpretation as a different term.
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- US: Emphasize rhotic /r/ in the middle and final syllables. The middle vowel tends to be a full /ə/ or /ɪə/ sound depending on the speaker; keep three distinct syllables. - UK: Often non-rhotic; the /r/ after a vowel is less pronounced, so you may hear /ˈjʊə-tə/; you should still deliver a light /r/ in careful speech. - AU: Similar to US but with a more centralized middle vowel; round lips slightly, maintain the diphthong in the first syllable and a crisp /z/ if you end with /z/.
Ureter comes from Latin ureter, from Greek oura (tail or urine) and -ter, from the suffix of anatomical terms. Early medieval Latin adopted ureter from Greek ourḗter, denoting a duct or canal for urine. In anatomy, the term expanded to specify the peristaltic tubes transporting urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The plural ureters follows standard English pluralization by adding -s. The spelling preserved the root macron of -ter, reflecting the Latin origin, while the modern pronunciation often reduces the first syllable to a schwa-like sound in rapid speech. The term first appears in English during the 17th to 18th centuries with the rise of systematic anatomy terminology, aligning with Latinized medical nomenclature used by physicians like Vesalius and later medical corpora in the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Words that rhyme with "Ureters"
-ers sounds
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