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Medical English for patients

This is the practical half of medical English: what a patient actually says and hears in a consultation. Several are commonly mis-stressed, and nausea varies between a z and sh sound in the middle. Practise before your appointment rather than during it.

Accent

15 words · intermediate · your accent and voice are remembered across the site. More options on the settings page.

The words

symptom
prescription
appointment
allergy
nausea
dizzy
injection
surgery
pharmacy
referral
antibiotics
insurance
diagnosis
specialist
painkiller

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Weak form words
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Keep practising

Browse every practice list or the word index, hear two accents back to back on Compare, or test your ear with the listening quiz.

To read the rules behind these words, see the pronunciation guides — including silent letters, word stress and American vs British. Or hear each accent on its own page: American, British, Australian.