Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

urethra

/jʊˈɹiθɹə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English

Syllables: ure-thra
IPA: /jʊˈɹiθɹə/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The tube through which urine exits the body and, in male placental mammals, through which semen is ejaculated.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek οὐρήθρα (ourḗthra, “the passage for urine”), from οὐρέω (ouréō, “to make water”). Recorded in English since 1634.

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₁wers-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /jʊˈɹiθɹə/
British English: /jʊəˈɹiːθɹə/

Inflected Forms

urethras (plural) urethrae (plural)

Derived Forms

megalourethra neourethra urethral urethralgia urethritis

Phrases

prostatic urethra urinary tract

Frequently Paired Words

ureter urinary tract

Questions

How do you pronounce urethra?: The recorded pronunciation is /jʊˈɹiθɹə/.
What does urethra mean?: The tube through which urine exits the body and, in male placental mammals, through which semen is ejaculated.
Where does urethra come from?: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek οὐρήθρα (ourḗthra, “the passage for urine”), from οὐρέω (ouréō, “to make water”). Recorded in English since 1634.

How to pronounce urethra

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “urethra”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/jʊˈɹiθɹə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “urethra”.
Repeat and practice — Say “urethra” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.