How to Pronounce Rabies

Rabies is pronounced RAY-beez. The first syllable rhymes with 'say,' and the second syllable sounds like 'bees.' Say it out loud: RAY (like the sun's rays) + beez (like the insects).

The first syllable—RAY—gets the stress, so you say it louder and longer. The mistake people make is putting equal stress on both syllables, but it should be RAY-beez, not ray-BEEZ.

Rabies breaks into two syllables: ra-bies. The 'a' in the first syllable sounds like the 'a' in 'say,' and the second syllable is pronounced like the word 'bees.'

Rabies is simply the name of a serious viral disease. In everyday language, you might just say someone has 'rabies' or you might describe it as a disease transmitted through animal bites, but 'rabies' is the medical name for the condition.

Rabies comes from the Latin word 'rabidus,' which means 'raging' or 'furious.' Doctors chose this name because the disease affects the brain and nervous system, sometimes causing behavioral changes in infected animals.

People sometimes say 'RAB-eez' (rhyming the first part with 'cab'), 'RAY-bees' (emphasizing the second syllable), or 'RAH-bees' (like the beginning of 'rabbit'). The correct way is RAY-beez, with the stress on RAY.

Rabies doesn't have a common abbreviation in medical language—doctors and health professionals simply say or write 'rabies.' It's a short enough word that abbreviations aren't really needed.

The word 'rabid' comes from the same Latin root and means 'raging' or 'uncontrolled.' You might hear 'rabid' used to describe an animal infected with rabies, as in 'a rabid dog,' or to describe extreme behavior in general.