The Pharmacist's Voice ® LLC

How do you say ibuprofen? (Pronunciation Series Episode 80)

Drug Name Pronunciations, Series

A small substitution can make a big difference to your ear. The official pronunciation for ibuprofen is EYE-bue-PROE-fen. Notice the second syllable, “bue.” I have been saying “bee” instead of “bue” for decades. 

I first became aware of the official pronunciation in 2020, when I looked it up in the USP Dictionary Online. The way I say it is “in the ballpark.” It’s close enough, but it’s not technically correct. 

As I recorded this episode, I felt uncomfortable admitting my decades-long mistake and owning the fact that I choose to say ibuprofen wrong even though I know better. I just feel more comfortable saying EYE-bee-PROE-fen. A lot of people say EYE-bee-PROE-fen instead of EYE-bue-PROE-fen. That doesn’t make it right, but I’m happy to say that both variations sound about the same when said quickly. Pick your pronunciation, and own it when you say it!

This is the 80th episode in my drug pronunciation series. We talk about pronunciations, not pharmacology. If you want to feel less frustrated learning drug names and sound more confident saying them, follow this series. In this episode, I break ibuprofen down into syllables, tell you which syllables to emphasize, and share my sources.

Ibuprofen = EYE-bue-PROE-fen 

  • EYE, like eyeglasses
  • bue, like butane (My variation is “bee,” like a bumblebee.”) 
  • PROE, like a the abbreviation for “professional.” For example, Caitlin Clark is a pro American women’s basketball player in the WNBA
  • fen, which rhymes with ten
  • Emphasize EYE and PRO. PRO gets the most emphasis.
  • Written pronunciation source: USP Dictionary Online
  • Spoken examples: drugs.com or Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary 

Thank you for listening to episode 384 of The Pharmacist’s Voice Podcast. If you know someone who would like to learn how to say ibuprofen, please share this episode with them. 

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Host Background: Kim Newlove has been an Ohio pharmacist since 2001 (BS Pharm, Chem Minor). Her experience includes hospital, retail, compounding, and behavioral health. She is also an author, voice actor (medical narrator and audiobook narrator), podcast host, and consultant (podcasting and audiobooks). 

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Thank you for listening to episode 384 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast. If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them!