How to Pronounce Urinalysis

Say it like this: yoor-ih-NAL-ih-sis. Start with 'yoor' (rhymes with 'poor'), then 'ih' (like the sound at the end of 'soda'), then stress the third part by saying 'NAL' loudly, and finish with 'ih-sis.' The biggest syllable gets the emphasis on NAL.

Many people accidentally stress the first syllable and say YOO-rin-al-ih-sis, but that's wrong. The correct stress belongs on the third syllable: yoor-ih-NAL-ih-sis. Remember that NAL is the loudest part of the word.

The word breaks into five syllables: yoor-ih-NAL-ih-sis. If you tap your chin as you say each part, you'll feel five separate bumps.

'Urinalysis' comes from two roots: 'urine' (the liquid waste your body makes) and 'analysis' (from the Greek word meaning 'to break down or examine'). So it literally means 'breaking down or examining urine.'

You can call it a 'urine test' in everyday conversation. Both terms mean the same thing—a lab test that looks at a sample of urine—but 'urinalysis' is the official medical term.

The short form is 'UA,' pronounced 'you-ay.' You'll often see it written this way on medical forms and in medical records.

Words like 'blood analysis,' 'urinalysis,' and 'analysis' all contain the same root meaning 'to examine or break down.' Other examples include 'psychoanalysis' and 'data analysis'—the root is used in many fields, not just medicine.

Here's an example: 'The doctor ordered a urinalysis to check the patient's urine sample.' This shows how the word is used in a medical context to refer to the test itself.