How to Pronounce Vitreous Hemorrhage

Say it like this: VIT-ree-us HEM-oh-rij. The first word rhymes with "victory" but shorter, and the second word sounds like "hem" (as in the edge of cloth) plus "or" plus "age." Put the stress on the first syllable of each word: VIT-ree-us and HEM-oh-rij.

People often say VIT-ree-us wrong by stressing the second syllable instead of the first, making it sound like vit-REE-us. Remember: the stress goes on VIT at the beginning, just like in the word "victory."

"Vitreous" has three syllables: VIT-ree-us. "Hemorrhage" has three syllables: HEM-oh-rij. Together they make six syllables total.

"Vitreous" means glassy or glass-like. It comes from the Latin word for glass, which makes sense because the vitreous is the clear, jelly-like substance inside your eye that helps light pass through.

"Hemorrhage" is a fancy medical word for bleeding. It comes from Greek words meaning "blood" (haema) and "burst forth" (rhageia), so it literally means a sudden, heavy loss of blood.

You'll hear words like "hemorrhoid" (bleeding in a different part of the body), "hemorrhagic" (describing something that involves bleeding), and "hemophilia" (a condition where blood doesn't clot properly). They all contain the Greek root for blood.

Sure! You might hear a doctor say: "The patient was referred to an eye specialist after being diagnosed with vitreous hemorrhage." This sentence is just using the medical term correctly—it doesn't give any medical advice.

Doctors sometimes write "VH" as an abbreviation, but the full term "vitreous hemorrhage" is still the most common way to say and write it. You'll usually hear the complete phrase rather than just the letters.