How to Pronounce Congenital Heart Disease

It's pronounced kon-JEN-ih-tal HART dih-ZEEZ. The stress falls on the second syllable of the first word: kon-JEN-ih-tal. Say it like you're emphasizing 'JEN' in the middle, then follow with 'HART' (rhymes with 'part') and 'dih-ZEEZ' (rhymes with 'squeeze').

Many people stress the first syllable instead of the second, saying CON-jen-ih-tal instead of kon-JEN-ih-tal. Remember: the emphasis belongs on 'JEN,' not on 'CON.' Listening to the stress pattern will help you sound more confident saying this word.

The full term has 7 syllables: con-GEN-i-tal (4) + heart (1) + dis-ease (2). Breaking it into chunks like this makes it much easier to pronounce smoothly instead of rushing through it.

'Congenital' comes from Latin words meaning 'born with.' It describes any condition or trait that a person has had since birth, not something they developed later in life. You'll hear this word used for many different conditions, not just heart problems.

Yes, doctors often abbreviate it as CHD, which you pronounce by saying each letter: C-H-D. You might also hear healthcare providers simply say 'congenital heart defect,' which means the same thing but uses the word 'defect' instead of 'disease.'

You might hear 'congenital cataract,' 'congenital hypothyroidism,' or 'congenital deafness'—all meaning conditions someone is born with. Any time you see 'congenital' in front of another condition, it means that person had it from birth.

You could say: 'The cardiologist explained that congenital heart disease is a condition present from birth.' Or: 'Her newborn was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at the hospital.' The term simply names what the condition is and when it started.

English speakers often stress the first syllable of long words, but 'congenital' breaks that pattern by stressing the second syllable. Thinking of it as 'con-JEN-it-al' instead of 'CON-gen-it-al' will help you nail the correct pronunciation.