How to Pronounce Plaque Erosion

Say it like this: PLAK ee-ROH-zhun. The first word rhymes with 'back,' and the second word sounds like 'ee' followed by 'ROH' (rhymes with 'go') and 'zhun' (like the 's' in 'vision'). The stress falls on the first syllable of the first word: PLAK.

Plaque is one syllable: plaque. Erosion is three syllables: e-RO-sion. Together it's four syllables total: plaque / e-RO-sion.

Many people stress the second syllable and say 'pluh-AYK,' but the correct way stresses the first syllable: PLAK. Also, 'erosion' is sometimes mispronounced as 'ee-RO-jun,' but it should end with a 'zhun' sound, like in 'vision.'

Plaque is a buildup or deposit that forms on a surface. In this medical term, it refers to a sticky substance that gathers in blood vessels.

Erosion comes from the Latin word meaning 'to gnaw away' or 'wear down.' It describes a gradual wearing away of something, like water eroding a rock.

Here's an example: 'The doctor explained that plaque erosion occurs when the surface of a deposit in an artery gradually wears away.' This sentence shows how the term is used when talking about what happens to deposits in blood vessels.

Yes! Words like 'dental erosion' (wearing away of tooth enamel) and 'soil erosion' (wearing away of earth) use the same root. They all mean a gradual wearing down of something.

You might hear doctors refer to it simply as 'erosion' when discussing plaques in blood vessels, but 'plaque erosion' is the complete, correct medical term that makes the meaning clear.