How to Pronounce Chorionic Villus Sampling

Say it like this: kor-ee-ON-ik VIL-us SAM-pling. The stress falls on the second word, on the 'ON' part. You're saying three separate words that together make up the full medical term.

'Chorionic' (kor-ee-ON-ik) comes from the Greek word 'chorion,' which refers to the outermost membrane around a developing baby. In this term, it describes tissue that comes from that outer layer.

'Villus' (VIL-us) is the singular form of 'villi,' which are tiny finger-like projections. The word comes from Latin and refers to the small, wispy structures on the placental tissue that doctors sample.

The plural of 'villus' is 'villi' (VIL-eye). So when talking about more than one of these small tissue structures, you would say 'villi' instead of 'villus.'

The abbreviation is 'CVS' (say each letter: C-V-S). You'll often hear doctors or medical papers use this shorter form instead of saying the whole phrase.

Chorionic villus sampling is a way of taking a tiny piece of placental tissue to look at it in a lab. The word 'sampling' simply means taking a small amount of something to test or examine.

Break it into five syllables like this: cho-ri-ON-ic. The stress (the part you say louder) lands on the third syllable, the 'ON' part. A common mistake is stressing the first syllable instead.

'Amniocentesis' (am-nee-oh-sen-TEE-sis) is another prenatal test, but it uses different word parts. Both terms name types of tests where doctors take a sample for lab examination, but 'amnio' refers to amniotic fluid while 'chorionic' refers to placental tissue.

People sometimes say 'kor-ee-AH-nik' with the stress on the wrong syllable, but the correct way is 'kor-ee-ON-ik' with the stress on 'ON.' Another mistake is rushing through the 'villi' part and saying it like 'villa' instead of 'VIL-us.'