How to Pronounce Inferior Temporal Gyrus

Say it like this: in-FEER-ee-or TEM-poh-rul JY-rus. The stress falls on the first syllable of "inferior" (in-FEER), and on the first syllable of "temporal" (TEM). The word "gyrus" rhymes with "virus" but with a J sound at the start.

In anatomy, "inferior" means lower or below—not worse or less important. When doctors say "inferior temporal gyrus," they mean the gyrus (ridge) that sits in the lower part of the temporal lobe of your brain.

"Temporal" refers to the temple area of your head, near your ears. The temporal lobe is the part of your brain that sits behind your temple, so "temporal gyrus" means a ridge or fold in that part of the brain.

A gyrus (pronounced JY-rus) is one of the raised ridges you see on the surface of the brain. The plural form is "gyri." Think of the brain's surface as having hills and valleys—the gyri are the hills.

"Gyrus" comes from ancient Greek and means "circle" or "turn," because these brain ridges look like they spiral and turn around. The plural "gyri" is also Greek in origin.

People often mispronounce it as "in-FEAR-ee-or" (stressing the wrong part of "inferior") or "TEM-po-ral" instead of "TEM-poh-rul." Remember: the stress goes on IN-feer and TEM, not on the middle or end of the words.

Sure! Here's an example: "The inferior temporal gyrus is located at the bottom of the temporal lobe, which is the part of your brain closest to your ears."

Here's how to split it up: in-FEER-ee-or (4 syllables) / TEM-poh-rul (3 syllables) / JY-rus (2 syllables). The stressed syllables are IN-feer and TEM.