How to Pronounce Renal Colic

Say it like this: REE-nal KOL-ik. The first part rhymes with "fee," and the second part sounds like "colic" as in stomach pain. The stress falls on the first syllable of each word: REE-nal and KOL-ik.

Renal comes from the Latin word for kidney. Any time you see "renal" in a medical term, it's referring to something related to the kidneys. For example, a renal artery is a blood vessel that goes to the kidney.

Colic refers to sharp, cramping pain that comes and goes in waves. The word originally described stomach pain in babies, but doctors now use it to describe any severe pain that isn't constant—like the pain from a kidney stone moving through the urinary system.

Break it into four syllables: RE-nal CO-lic. The first syllable of each word gets the stress, so it sounds like: REE-nal KOL-ik.

Many people stress the second syllable by saying re-NAL or co-LIC, but the correct way is to stress the FIRST syllable of each word: REE-nal KOL-ik. Another mistake is mispronouncing the first syllable like "ray" instead of "ree."

Both words start with "renal," which means they both describe kidney-related conditions. Even though the two conditions are very different, you'll recognize that "renal" always points you to a kidney problem.

You might hear a doctor say: "The patient was admitted to the hospital with renal colic." This tells you the patient has severe pain related to a kidney problem, though it doesn't tell you what's causing it.

Medical professionals sometimes just say "colic" or write "RC" as an abbreviation, but "renal colic" is the full, proper name. Using the full term is clearer because "colic" by itself could refer to pain in other parts of the body.