How to Pronounce Wharton Duct

Say it like this: WHOR-tun dukt. The first part rhymes with 'short,' and the second part sounds like 'tun' (rhymes with 'sun'). The stress falls on the first syllable, so you emphasize WHOR the most.

Many people stress the second syllable and say 'whor-TUN duct,' but that's incorrect. Remember: the emphasis goes on the FIRST syllable—WHOR-tun. Think of it like the word 'shorter' to get the stress pattern right.

Break it into three syllables: WHOR-tun-dukt. 'Wharton' has two syllables (WHOR-tun), and 'duct' is one syllable by itself.

The duct is named after Thomas Wharton, an English anatomist from the 1600s who studied the human body and documented the structures inside it. In anatomy, many structures are named after the doctors or scientists who first described them.

A 'duct' is a tube or channel that carries liquid through the body. In this case, it's a tube that carries saliva. You'll see the word 'duct' in other medical terms too, like 'tear duct' or 'milk duct.'

Think of it as a 'saliva straw'—it's a small tube that brings spit from a gland under your jaw into your mouth. The opening is located right under your tongue.

Yes! You might hear 'tear duct' (which carries tears), 'bile duct' (which carries digestive fluid), or 'salivary duct' (a general term for tubes that carry saliva). They all use the word 'duct' because they're all tubes that carry fluid.

You might say: 'The Wharton Duct is an opening under the tongue that lets saliva flow into your mouth.' This sentence describes where it is and what it does in everyday language.