How to Pronounce Congenital Aural Atresia
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Congenital Aural Atresia Pronunciation
kon-JEN-ih-tal AW-ral ah-TREE-zhah
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
kon
JEN
stress here
ih
tal AW
ral ah
TREE
stress here
zhah
7 syllables
What is Congenital Aural Atresia?
A congenital absence or severe underdevelopment of the external ear canal, often accompanied by malformation of the middle ear bones (ossicles) and the external ear (microtia), leading to conductive hearing loss. Hearing rehabilitation with bone-anchored hearing aids or reconstructive surgery can improve hearing function.
Questions About Congenital Aural Atresia
How do you pronounce congenital aural atresia?
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Say it like this: kon-JEN-ih-tal AW-ral ah-TREE-zhah. The stress falls on the second part of the first word (JEN), so you say it a little louder and longer than the other syllables. The last part, atresia, ends with a 'zhah' sound, like the 's' in 'measure.'
What does 'congenital' mean in this term?
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Congenital comes from Latin and means 'present from birth.' In medical words, it describes something that a person is born with, rather than something that develops later in life.
What does 'aural' mean?
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Aural comes from the Latin word for 'ear.' When you see 'aural' in a medical term, it's telling you that the word has something to do with ears or hearing.
What does 'atresia' mean?
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Atresia comes from Greek and means 'without an opening' or 'closed off.' In medical terms, it describes something that didn't form properly or is blocked where there should normally be an opening.
How do you break congenital aural atresia into syllables?
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Break it like this: con-GEN-i-tal (4 syllables) / AU-ral (2 syllables) / a-TRE-sia (3 syllables). The whole phrase has 9 syllables, and the stress lands on GEN in the first word and on TRE in the last word.
What's a common mispronunciation of this term?
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Many people stress the wrong part and say 'con-jen-ih-TAL' instead of 'kon-JEN-ih-tal,' putting the emphasis on the last syllable of the first word. Remember: the stress goes on the second syllable, JEN.
What is this condition called in plain, everyday language?
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In simple terms, congenital aural atresia is when someone is born with a missing or severely underdeveloped ear canal. It affects hearing because sound waves can't reach the inner ear the normal way.
What are some related medical words that use 'atresia'?
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You might hear 'biliary atresia' (related to bile ducts), 'esophageal atresia' (related to the food tube), or 'choanal atresia' (related to nasal passages). All of these use 'atresia' to mean an abnormal closing off or absence of a normal opening.
How would you use this term in a simple sentence?
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You might say: 'The patient was diagnosed with congenital aural atresia, which affected both ears.' Or: 'Congenital aural atresia is a condition someone is born with that involves the ear canal.'

