How to Pronounce Anterior Fontanelle

Say it like this: an-TEER-ee-or fon-tah-NEL. The stress falls on the second syllable of the first word (TEER) and the last syllable of the second word (NEL). Think of it as saying "ann-TEAR-ee-ur" and then "fahn-tuh-NELL" as two separate words.

Anterior is a directional term in anatomy that means "toward the front." In this case, it tells you that the fontanelle being described is located at the front part of the head, as opposed to other soft spots that may be at the back or sides.

Fontanelle comes from the French word "fontaine," which means "small fountain." Doctors named it this because the soft spot can look like a tiny spring or opening on top of the baby's head. The term is used in English to describe any of the gaps between baby's skull bones.

The phrase has 6 syllables total: an-TEER-ee-or (4 syllables) and fon-tah-NEL (3 syllables). Breaking it into chunks like this makes it easier to say slowly and carefully.

People often stress the wrong syllable and say "AN-teer-ee-or" instead of "an-TEER-ee-or." Another mistake is saying "fon-tuh-NELL" with the stress on the wrong part—remember, it should sound like fon-tah-NEL with stress on the final syllable.

You can simply call it the soft spot on the top front of a baby's head. It's the spot where the skull bones haven't finished growing together yet, creating a small opening that you can feel.

Yes! There are actually several soft spots on a newborn's head—the term fontanelle can refer to any of them. The anterior fontanelle is just the largest and most well-known one, located at the front top of the head.

Here's an example: "The nurse gently examined the baby's anterior fontanelle during the newborn check-up." This sentence uses the term correctly to describe the physical feature on a baby's head.