How to Pronounce Cohort Study

Say it like this: KOH-hort STUD-ee. The first part rhymes with 'go fort,' and the second part sounds like 'study' as in 'to learn about something.' Put the stress on the first syllable of each word: KOH-hort and STUD-ee.

A cohort is simply a group of people who share something in common—like all being born in the same year, or all working in the same job. In a cohort study, researchers follow this group over time to watch what happens to them.

There are four syllables total: co-hort stu-dy. The word 'cohort' has two syllables, and 'study' also has two syllables.

Many people accidentally stress the second syllable and say co-HORT instead of KOH-hort. Remember: the stress belongs on the first syllable, like saying 'go' then 'hort.' The word doesn't rhyme with 'report.'

Cohort comes from Latin and originally meant a group of soldiers marching together. Over time, it came to mean any group of people who share a common trait or time period, which is why it works perfectly for describing a group of research participants.

You might hear 'cohesion' or 'cohesive,' which come from the same Latin root meaning 'to stick together.' A cohort is a group that stays together, just like cohesive things stick together.

Here's an example: 'The researchers used a cohort study to follow 1,000 office workers and track their health over five years.' This shows that a cohort study involves following a specific group of people for an extended time.

Sometimes people just say 'cohort' by itself when the context makes it clear they mean a cohort study. You might also see it abbreviated in written research as 'CS,' but in conversation, the full term 'cohort study' is most common and clearest.