How to Pronounce SARS

SARS is pronounced like the word "cars" but with an "S" sound at the beginning: SARZ. The word is one syllable, so you say it all in one quick breath. Think of it rhyming with "mars" or "bars."

SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The full name is much longer, so doctors and news reports use the shorter abbreviation SARS instead. Each letter is pronounced separately: S-A-R-S.

The full name is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Say it like this: SEE-veer ah-KYOOT res-pih-rah-TOR-ee SIN-drohm. The stress falls on "SEE" in Severe, "KYOOT" in Acute, "TOR" in Respiratory, and "SIN" in Syndrome.

Some people say "SARZ" with a long "ar" sound like in "far," but that's not quite right. The correct way is to rhyme it with "cars"—SARZ. It's a short, sharp sound, not drawn out.

"Severe" means serious or very bad. "Acute" means sudden and short-term. "Respiratory" comes from Latin and refers to breathing and the lungs. "Syndrome" means a group of symptoms that happen together. Put together, it describes a serious breathing illness that starts suddenly.

SARS is a serious viral illness that affects the lungs and breathing. Instead of saying the whole medical name every time, people just say "SARS" as a shorthand. It's like how people say "flu" instead of "influenza."

Sure! Here's an example: "During the SARS outbreak in the early 2000s, many people wore masks in public to stay safe." Notice that you can use "SARS" just like any other illness name, such as measles or chickenpox.

Both ways of speaking are correct. You can say "SARS" by itself, or you can say "the SARS virus" or "SARS-CoV-1" (which is the specific virus name). When you say "SARS virus," you're being extra clear about what kind of germ caused the illness.