How to Pronounce Right Atrium

Say it as RYT AY-tree-um. The first word rhymes with 'kite' or 'bite,' and the second word sounds like 'atrium' from the word 'theater.' The stress falls on the middle syllable: AY-tree-um.

The stress is on the first syllable: AY-tree-um. A common mistake is stressing the second syllable and saying 'uh-TREE-um,' but that's incorrect. Listen for the emphasis on 'AY' to say it right.

Atrium breaks into three syllables: A-tree-um. If you say each part slowly, it sounds like 'AY' + 'tree' + 'um' all together.

Atrium is a Latin word that originally meant 'entrance hall' or 'courtyard' in a Roman house. Doctors used this name because the heart's upper chambers open into the lower chambers, like a hall opening into another room.

The right atrium is the upper right chamber of your heart. Think of it as a waiting room that catches blood coming back from your body and then sends it down to the next chamber to be pumped to the lungs.

The abbreviation is RA. In medical writing, doctors often use 'RA' as shorthand for 'right atrium,' but it's pronounced as 'arr-ay' when spoken aloud.

Left atrium (the upper left chamber) is the main related term. You might also hear 'atrial' (ay-tree-ul), which is an adjective meaning 'relating to the atrium,' as in 'atrial fibrillation.'

You might say: 'Blood enters the right atrium from the body and then flows into the right ventricle.' This shows how the right atrium fits into the heart's overall job of pumping blood.