How to Pronounce Hypertension

Hypertension is pronounced hy-per-TEN-shun. Say it like "HY" (rhymes with "my"), then "PER" (rhymes with "her"), then "TEN" (like the number), and finally "shun" (like the ending of "mansion"). The stress falls on the third syllable: TEN.

The stressed syllable is TEN, which is the third syllable. A common mistake is stressing the first syllable (HY) or the second (PER), but the correct way is to say it with emphasis on TEN: hy-per-TEN-shun.

Hypertension has four syllables: hy-per-ten-shun. Breaking it into parts helps you say each sound clearly without rushing through the word.

Hypertension comes from two Greek and Latin roots: "hyper-" means "over" or "above," and "-tension" comes from Latin and means "pressure" or "tightness." So the word literally means "above-normal pressure."

Hypertension is simply another word for high blood pressure. It describes a condition where blood pressure stays higher than normal, and doctors use the medical term hypertension when talking about it in a clinical setting.

The abbreviation for hypertension is HTN, which is pronounced by saying each letter: H-T-N. You might see HTN used in medical records or clinical notes as a shorthand way to write the word.

Other medical words starting with "hyper-" include hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). All of these "hyper-" words mean that something is too high or overactive in the body.

Here's an example: "The doctor used the word hypertension to describe the patient's consistently elevated blood pressure readings." This shows how the term is used in a medical context to name the condition.