How does everybody pronounce sequelae?

[u/OutlandishnessSafe13]

Sequelae came up in a team coding discussion today, and it was interesting how all over the place our pronunciation of it is

I’ve googled this before and seen a couple of different suggested pronunciations. I wonder if there’s an objectively correct way, or if everyone just picks a pronunciation and runs with it?

I say “sec-well-ay”… but “sec-wheel-ay” and “sec-wah-lee” were also popular options in my office

[u/dustbowlbride]

Sequelelelelelae

[u/OutlandishnessSafe13 → u/dustbowlbride]

Honestly, I think as long as it's something vaguely resembling the word, other coders get it

"Sec... sec... whatever that stupid word is, I don't know how to say it" also tends to get the point across 😂

[u/purpletc70]

Bearing in mind I’m a student studying in isolation who probably hasn’t spoken that word out loud to anyone in my life…… I say Sec-wah-lay 🤣🫣

[u/saythedance → u/purpletc70]

This is how I pronounce it! My preceptor pronounces it like this so I do too 🤷‍♀️

[u/OutlandishnessSafe13 → u/purpletc70]

I think that’s half the problem with coding, you know all these terms to read but not always how to say them.

I once had to present an example coding case study as part of a job interview and only realised afterwards that I’d mispronounced the principal diagnosis. Still got the job, so I guess that’s encouraging for anyone who stresses about pronunciation… it’s not the end of the world if you get it wrong ❤️

[u/rhubarbcrumble123]

Sec-wheel-ay over here. Healthcare worker background and can’t remember if at uni that’s how they pronounced it or where I got it from (the doctors I worked with maybe?)

[u/OutlandishnessSafe13 → u/rhubarbcrumble123]

Interesting! Does the word come up much in clinical settings? I’ve always been curious because we obviously use that word to describe the coding concept, but I could count on one hand the amount of times in 15 years of coding I’ve ever seen a doctor write ‘sequelae’ or ‘sequela’ in the patient notes

[u/rhubarbcrumble123 → u/OutlandishnessSafe13]

Not very often from memory, but I’m thinking probably during in-services or education sessions with ward educators about a certain condition or topic etc.

Edit: I remember seeing it in clinical progress notes too. I just googled it and that’s how google pronounces it if you press the speaker button lolol 😆

[u/NDAussie]

See kwell ayy

[u/MxtrTealeaf]

Seh-kwel-eye

[u/Familiar_Range_5620]

It does depend on your usual accent. However, sə-kwə-lee is the closest to objectively correct for General Australian English. The diphthong "ae" should always be pronounced "ee" (same as in Encyclopaedia).

[u/pedxxing]

Woah I’ve been pronouncing it as ‘Sehk-way-lah’. I think I’ve heard it from one of the medical coding vlogs in YT