How to Pronounce Quarantine
Definition, meaning, and phonetic spelling
Quarantine Pronunciation
KWOR-an-teen
Stressed syllable in ALL CAPS · hyphens separate syllables
Syllable Breakdown
KWOR
stress here
an
teen
3 syllables
What is Quarantine?
The separation and restriction of movement of people who have been exposed to a contagious disease to see if they become ill, in order to prevent potential spread before diagnosis. Unlike isolation (which applies to confirmed sick individuals), quarantine applies to exposed but not yet sick people for the duration of the disease's incubation period.
Questions About Quarantine
How do you pronounce quarantine?
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Quarantine is pronounced KWOR-an-teen. The first part sounds like "quor" (rhymes with "or"), then you say "an" (like the article), and finally "teen" (like the number). Put the stress on the first syllable: KWOR, and say the rest more quickly.
What's the most common mistake people make when saying quarantine?
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Many people stress the wrong syllable and say kwar-an-TEEN instead of KWOR-an-teen. Remember: the emphasis goes on the first syllable, not the last one.
How many syllables does quarantine have?
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Quarantine has three syllables: quar-an-tine. Breaking it into parts this way makes it easier to say correctly and helps you remember where the stress goes.
Where does the word quarantine come from?
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Quarantine comes from the Italian word "quaranta," which means "40." Historically, ships suspected of carrying disease were kept isolated for 40 days, and this practice gave the word its name.
What does quarantine mean in plain English?
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Quarantine means keeping people who may have been exposed to a disease separate from others for a period of time to watch if they get sick. It's a waiting and monitoring period for people who aren't sick yet but might be.
How is quarantine different from isolation?
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Quarantine applies to people who have been exposed to a disease but aren't sick yet. Isolation applies to people who are already confirmed to be sick. Both words describe separation, but quarantine is about prevention before illness happens, while isolation is about control after diagnosis.
Can you use quarantine in a sentence?
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Here's an example: "After traveling to an area with a contagious disease outbreak, the traveler entered quarantine for two weeks to make sure they didn't develop symptoms."
Is there a short form or abbreviation for quarantine?
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Quarantine is sometimes shortened to just "Q" in informal writing, but this is not a standard medical abbreviation. The full word quarantine is used in most professional and medical contexts.