How to Pronounce Heart Failure

Say it like this: HART FAYL-yer. The first word rhymes with 'start,' and the second word sounds like 'fail' plus 'er' at the end. The stress falls on the first syllable of each word: HART and FAYL.

Both words have their stress on the first syllable. You say HART (not hart) and FAYL-yer (not fail-YER). A common mistake is putting the stress on the second syllable of 'failure,' but that's incorrect.

'Heart' has one syllable, and 'failure' has two syllables, making three syllables total: HART / FAYL / yer. Breaking it into chunks like this makes it easier to say the whole phrase smoothly.

'Heart' is the organ that pumps blood throughout your body. 'Failure' means something is not working as it should. When you put them together, 'heart failure' refers to the heart not pumping blood as well as it normally does.

Yes, doctors sometimes use the abbreviation HF. You say each letter: 'H-F' or sometimes 'aitch-eff.' You might also hear the longer term 'congestive heart failure,' which is often shortened to CHF.

'Heart failure' and 'congestive heart failure' refer to the same condition, but 'congestive heart failure' (or CHF) includes the idea that fluid backs up in the lungs or body. Both terms are correct, though one may be used more in certain situations.

Words like 'cardiac' and 'cardiology' also relate to the heart—'cardiac' means 'relating to the heart,' and 'cardiology' is the study of the heart. The root 'card-' or 'cardi-' comes from the Greek word for heart.

You might say: 'The patient was diagnosed with heart failure and needs to understand what that term means.' Or: 'The nurse explained that heart failure is when the heart has difficulty pumping blood efficiently.'