How to Pronounce First Metatarsal

Say it like this: FERST met-ah-TAR-sal. The word 'first' sounds like you're ordering something in line, and 'metatarsal' breaks into three parts where you stress the third part: met-ah-TAR-sal (with TAR getting the strongest emphasis).

The third syllable, TAR, gets the stress. Many people mistakenly stress the second syllable and say met-ah-TAR-sal wrong as 'MET-ah-tar-sal,' but the correct way puts the emphasis on TAR.

A metatarsal is simply a long bone in your foot between your ankle and your toes. The 'first metatarsal' is the one that connects to your big toe, and it's shorter and thicker than the other metatarsal bones.

'Meta-' comes from Greek and means 'beyond' or 'after,' while 'tarsal' refers to the tarsal bones in your ankle. So 'metatarsal' literally means the bones beyond the ankle bones, which is exactly where they sit in your foot.

It has four syllables: met-a-tar-sal. Breaking it into chunks like this makes it easier to practice saying the word out loud and remembering which part to stress.

Yes, doctors sometimes write or say 'MT1' or 'first MT' as shorthand, where MT stands for metatarsal and the number 1 means it's the first one. You'd say this as 'em-tee one.'

People often say 'meta-TAR-sul' by stressing the wrong syllable and leaving off the 'a' sound at the end. The correct way is met-ah-TAR-sal, with a clear 'uh' sound in the middle and an 'al' sound at the end.

Sure: 'The doctor examined the patient's first metatarsal to check its alignment.' This sentence shows how the term is used in medical conversations when talking about that specific bone in the foot.