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Medical Terminology Flashcards: Free 49-Card Set

Intermediate Level

Learn medical terminology the way courses teach it: prefixes, root words and suffixes, then whole terms, directional words and safe abbreviations.

Complete Guide to Medical Terminology

Medical terminology looks like thousands of unrelated words, but it is built from a few hundred word parts. A term is usually a prefix (where, how many, how much), a root (the body part or process) and a suffix (what is happening to it). Learn the parts once and you can decode words you have never met: gastr/o (stomach) + enter/o (intestine) + -itis (inflammation) is inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

This page gives you a free, hand-checked starter set of flashcards organised the way a medical terminology course teaches it: prefixes, root words and combining forms, suffixes, building and breaking down terms, directional words, and the shorthand clinicians use (including the abbreviations the Joint Commission says never to write). Each card is checked against an open medical terminology textbook.

Use the set to get through your first weeks, then build cards for your course's body systems from your own chapters. The generator turns a pasted chapter or PDF into question-and-answer cards, and spaced repetition brings each card back just before you would forget it.

Learning Roadmap for Medical Terminology

Prefixes and suffixes

Week 1

Learn the two ends of a term first. They are the same across every body system.

Root words by body system

Weeks 2 to 3

Add the combining forms for the systems you are covering in class and build terms from parts.

Directional terms and abbreviations

Week 3

Add anterior/posterior, proximal/distal and the safe-practice abbreviations.

Mixed review and your own cards

Week 4

Quiz yourself on the whole deck and add cards from lecture slides.

Key Concepts You'll Master

Prefixes (hyper-, hypo-, brady-, tachy-)

Root words (cardi/o, hepat/o, nephr/o)

Suffixes (-itis, -ectomy, -emia)

Word building and the combining vowel

Directional terms

Do Not Use abbreviations

Sign vs symptom

Latin and Greek plurals

Illustration of flashcards with prefix, root and suffix puzzle tiles around a glowing heart

Free medical terminology flashcards: 49-card starter set

Medical terms are built from a small number of word parts. Learn the parts once and you can decode most words you have never seen. Every card below is written and checked by hand against standard textbook definitions. Read them here, or open the whole set in the study app with spaced repetition and quiz mode.

No signup needed. Progress saves in your browser, and in your account if you sign in.

Prefixes (12)

The beginning of the word tells you where, how many, or how much.

What do the prefixes a- and an- mean?

Without, absence of. Apnea = absence of breathing. Anemia = too few red blood cells or too little hemoglobin (literally "without blood").

brady- vs tachy-

Brady- = slow, tachy- = fast. Bradycardia = slow heart rate (under 60 beats/min in an adult at rest); tachycardia = fast heart rate (over 100 beats/min at rest).

hyper- vs hypo-

Hyper- = above normal, excessive (hyperglycemia, hypertension). Hypo- = below normal, deficient (hypoglycemia, hypotension).

What does the prefix dys- mean?

Difficult, painful, abnormal. Dyspnea = difficult breathing; dysphagia = difficulty swallowing; dysuria = painful urination.

poly- vs oligo-

Poly- = many, much (polyuria = excessive urine output). Oligo- = few, scanty (oliguria = low urine output).

inter- vs intra-

Inter- = between (intercostal = between the ribs). Intra- = within (intravenous = within a vein).

peri-, endo-, epi-

Peri- = around (pericardium surrounds the heart). Endo- = within (endocardium lines the heart chambers). Epi- = upon, above (epidermis lies on top of the dermis).

sub- vs supra-

Sub- = under, below (subcutaneous = beneath the skin). Supra- = above (suprapubic = above the pubic bone).

hemi-, bi-, uni-

Hemi- = half (hemiplegia = paralysis of one side of the body). Bi- = two (bilateral = both sides). Uni- = one (unilateral = one side).

anti- vs contra-

Anti- = against (antibiotic, anticoagulant). Contra- = against, opposite (a contraindication is a reason not to use a treatment).

pre-, post-, trans-

Pre- = before (preoperative). Post- = after (postoperative). Trans- = across, through (transdermal = through the skin).

neo- and mal-

Neo- = new (neonate = newborn; neoplasm = new growth). Mal- = bad, poor (malnutrition, malabsorption).

Root words and combining forms (12)

The core of the word names the body part, fluid or process.

cardi/o and angi/o

Cardi/o = heart (cardiology). Angi/o = vessel (angiogram = image of blood vessels).

hemat/o and hem/o

Blood. Hematology = study of blood; hemorrhage = bursting forth of blood.

Color roots

Erythr/o = red, leuk/o = white, cyan/o = blue, melan/o = black, xanth/o = yellow. Erythrocyte = red blood cell; leukocyte = white blood cell; cyanosis = bluish discoloration.

pulmon/o, pneum/o, bronch/o

Pulmon/o = lung. Pneum/o = lung or air. Bronch/o = bronchus (airway). Pneumonia, bronchitis.

gastr/o, enter/o, col/o

Gastr/o = stomach, enter/o = intestines (usually small intestine), col/o = colon (large intestine). Gastroenteritis, colectomy.

What does the root hepat/o mean?

Liver. Hepatitis = inflammation of the liver; hepatomegaly = enlarged liver.

nephr/o and ren/o

Kidney. Nephrology = study of the kidney; renal = relating to the kidney.

cyst/o and ur/o

Cyst/o = bladder (sac). Ur/o = urine or urinary tract. Cystitis = inflammation of the bladder; urology = study of the urinary tract.

neur/o, cephal/o, encephal/o

Neur/o = nerve. Cephal/o = head. Encephal/o = brain. Neuropathy, cephalalgia (headache), encephalitis.

oste/o, arthr/o, my/o

Oste/o = bone, arthr/o = joint, my/o = muscle. Osteoporosis, arthritis, myalgia.

derm/o and dermat/o

Skin. Dermatitis = inflammation of the skin; dermatology = study of the skin.

ophthalm/o, ot/o, rhin/o

Ophthalm/o = eye, ot/o = ear, rhin/o = nose. Ophthalmologist, otitis media, rhinitis.

Suffixes (12)

The ending tells you what is happening: inflammation, surgery, disease, symptom.

What does the suffix -itis mean?

Inflammation. Tonsillitis, appendicitis, dermatitis.

-ectomy, -otomy, -ostomy

-ectomy = surgical removal (appendectomy). -otomy = cutting into, incision (thoracotomy). -ostomy = creating a permanent or temporary opening (colostomy).

-plasty and -scopy

-plasty = surgical repair or reconstruction (rhinoplasty). -scopy = visual examination with a scope (colonoscopy).

-gram vs -graphy

-gram = the record or image produced (mammogram). -graphy = the process of recording (mammography).

What does the suffix -emia mean?

Blood condition. Anemia, hyperglycemia (high glucose in the blood), septicemia.

What does the suffix -pathy mean?

Disease or disorder. Neuropathy = disease of the nerves; cardiomyopathy = disease of the heart muscle.

-algia and -dynia

Pain. Myalgia = muscle pain; arthralgia = joint pain; gastrodynia = stomach pain.

What does the suffix -osis mean?

Abnormal condition. Cyanosis, stenosis, osteoporosis.

What does the suffix -megaly mean?

Enlargement. Cardiomegaly = enlarged heart; splenomegaly = enlarged spleen.

-rrhea vs -rrhage / -rrhagia

-rrhea = flow or discharge (diarrhea). -rrhage / -rrhagia = bursting forth, heavy bleeding (hemorrhage).

-penia and -plegia

-penia = deficiency (leukopenia = too few white blood cells). -plegia = paralysis (paraplegia, hemiplegia).

What does the suffix -oma mean?

Tumor or mass. Lipoma (fatty tumor), carcinoma (cancer of epithelial tissue). Not every -oma is malignant.

Building and breaking down terms (4)

How do you break down a medical term?

Start at the end: define the suffix first, then read from the beginning (prefix, then root). Example: gastr/o + enter/o + -itis = inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis).

What is a combining vowel and when is it dropped?

A combining vowel (usually "o") joins a root to a suffix or another root, and the root plus vowel is a combining form (gastr/o). It is dropped when the suffix starts with a vowel: gastr/o + -itis = gastritis, but gastr/o + -scopy = gastroscopy.

Decode: nephrolithotomy

nephr/o (kidney) + lith/o (stone) + -otomy (cutting into) = incision into the kidney to remove a stone.

Common plural endings from Latin and Greek

-is becomes -es (diagnosis, diagnoses). -us becomes -i (bronchus, bronchi). -um becomes -a (bacterium, bacteria). -a becomes -ae (vertebra, vertebrae). -ix / -ex becomes -ices (appendix, appendices).

Directional terms and positions (5)

Anterior vs posterior

Anterior (ventral) = toward the front of the body. Posterior (dorsal) = toward the back.

Superior vs inferior

Superior = above, toward the head. Inferior = below, toward the feet.

Proximal vs distal

Proximal = closer to the point of attachment or the trunk. Distal = farther away. The elbow is proximal to the wrist.

Medial vs lateral

Medial = toward the midline of the body. Lateral = away from the midline, toward the side.

Supine vs prone

Supine = lying on the back, face up. Prone = lying face down.

Clinical shorthand and safe abbreviations (4)

Sign vs symptom

A sign is objective and observed or measured by someone else (fever, rash, a blood pressure reading). A symptom is subjective and reported by the patient (nausea, pain, fatigue).

Dx, Rx, Hx, Tx, Sx

Dx = diagnosis. Rx = prescription or treatment. Hx = history. Tx = treatment. Sx = symptoms.

PRN, NPO, STAT

PRN = as needed. NPO = nothing by mouth (from Latin nil per os). STAT = immediately.

Which abbreviations are on the Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list?

U or u (for unit), IU (for international unit), Q.D./QD/q.d./qd and Q.O.D./QOD/q.o.d./qod (daily and every other day), a trailing zero (X.0 mg), a missing leading zero (.X mg), and MS, MSO4 and MgSO4 (confused with each other). Write "unit" and "daily" out in full.

How to learn medical terminology in 4 weeks

Most courses give you one to two body systems a week. Learn the word parts for the system first, then the whole terms. Spaced repetition does the rest: new cards come back after 1 day, 3 days, about a week, then about two weeks.

1
Week 1
Prefixes and suffixes (the two groups above). 10 new cards a day, then review whatever the app schedules. Say each term aloud: pronunciation sticks better than silent reading.
2
Week 2
Root words for the first two body systems you are covering in class. Build 5 terms a day from the parts you know (prefix + root + suffix) before looking at the definition.
3
Week 3
Add the remaining systems and the directional terms. Turn on quiz mode so you are choosing from answers, not just recognising them.
4
Week 4 / before the test
Mixed review of the whole deck plus your own cards from lecture slides. Re-study only the cards you missed. Practise spelling the ones you will have to write.

Spaced repetition schedules each card to return just before you would forget it, so reviews get shorter as the exam gets closer. Cards you miss come back sooner.

Make flashcards from your own medical terminology chapter

✓Paste a chapter section or the word-part tables from your textbook and the generator builds one card per word part and one per term.
✓Ask for one body system at a time ("cardiovascular terms") so the deck matches the week you are in.
✓Edit the generated cards to add the pronunciation your instructor uses; courses often grade pronunciation and spelling.

Generate cards from a topic or notes Turn a PDF into flashcards

Learning Tips for Medical Terminology

Learn Word Parts

Prefixes, roots, and suffixes help decode new terms. Define the suffix first, then read left to right.

Group by System

Study terms by body system (cardiovascular, respiratory, etc.) in the same week your class covers it.

Say Terms Aloud

Pronunciation and spelling are graded in many courses, and saying a word aloud helps it stick.

How to Use Flashcards for Medical Terminology

Start with the Basics

Review the flashcard deck to familiarize yourself with key concepts and terminology.

Use Spaced Repetition

Our system schedules reviews at optimal intervals to maximize long-term retention.

Test Yourself

Use quiz mode to actively recall information and identify areas that need more practice.

Practice Daily

Consistent 15-20 minute daily sessions are more effective than long occasional study periods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our flashcards cover prefixes, root words, suffixes, directional terms, word building and the abbreviations used in clinical practice.

Yes! These flashcards build foundational medical vocabulary for healthcare education, and the same word parts reappear in A&P, pharmacology and exam prep.

Learn word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) - they help decode unfamiliar terms. Then practise building and breaking down terms and review on a spaced schedule.

Learn the prefixes, root words and suffixes first (about 150 to 200 word parts cover most terms), then practise building and breaking down real terms. Memorising whole words one by one is much slower than decoding them from the parts.

It depends on the course, but a typical first medical terminology class covers roughly 500 to 1,000 terms across the body systems. Word parts let you work out many more than you memorise.

Yes. The 49-card starter set on this page is free to read and to open in the study app without signing up. Making your own decks from notes is free to try; larger decks and document imports are part of Pro.

They cover the core word parts and the shorthand every course starts with. For body-system vocabulary (cardiovascular, respiratory and so on), paste your own chapter into the generator so the deck matches your syllabus.

Yes, but learn which ones are unsafe as well. The Joint Commission "Do Not Use" list exists because abbreviations such as U for unit have caused dosing errors. Cards for those are in the starter set.

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Sources and review

Starter cards are independent study aids, not medical advice or official exam content, and were checked against the sources below. Always confirm values and procedures with your textbook, instructor and local policy.

Building a Medical Terminology Foundation (Carter and Rutherford) — Open textbook (CC BY 4.0); word-part definitions were checked against it.
The Joint Commission: Do Not Use List — Official list of prohibited abbreviations.

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