How to Pronounce Metacarpals

Say it like this: met-ah-KAR-pulz. Break it into four syllables, and put the stress on the third syllable (KAR). It rhymes with "car" in that stressed part, so the emphasis lands on the middle of the word.

Many people accidentally stress the first syllable and say MET-ah-carpals, but that's incorrect. The correct stress is on the third syllable: met-ah-KAR-pulz. Listening to the correct pronunciation a few times will help your ear catch the difference.

The word comes from Greek: 'meta' means "beyond" or "after," and 'carpals' refers to the carpal bones of the wrist. So metacarpals literally means the bones that come after the wrist bones, which is exactly where they are—between your wrist and your fingers.

The easiest way to say it is "palm bones" or "hand bones." If you make a fist, the long bones you feel across the back of your hand are your metacarpals—there are five of them, one leading to each finger.

Here's how it divides: met-a-car-pals. That's four syllables total, but when you say it naturally, you stress the third syllable (car) the most, which makes the word sound like met-ah-KAR-pulz.

You can shorten it to just 'metacarpals' in speech, or doctors sometimes write 'MCs' as an abbreviation (pronounced 'em-sees'). You might also hear people say 'metacarpal bones' to be extra clear.

The word 'carpal' by itself refers to the wrist bones, and you'll see it in terms like 'carpal tunnel' (a space in the wrist). Both metacarpals and carpals come from the same Greek root, so they're cousins in anatomy vocabulary.

Sure! Here's an example: 'The doctor examined his metacarpals to check if any of the hand bones were injured.' Another example: 'When you spread your fingers wide, your metacarpals fan out beneath the skin of your palm.'