Inklingo

How to Say "ct scan" in Spanish

English → Spanish

tac

/tak//ˈtak/

nounB1medical
Use 'tac' specifically when referring to the medical imaging procedure or the resulting images, as it is the common abbreviation for 'tomografía axial computarizada'.
A large white donut-shaped medical machine in a clean, bright room.

Examples

El médico me mandó un TAC para ver el estado de mi rodilla.

The doctor ordered a CT scan to see the condition of my knee.

Los resultados del TAC estarán listos en tres días.

The CT scan results will be ready in three days.

No te preocupes, hacerse un TAC no duele nada.

Don't worry, getting a CT scan doesn't hurt at all.

A Word from Letters

This word is actually an acronym (a word made from first letters) for 'Tomografía Axial Computarizada.' In Spanish, many medical acronyms are spoken like regular words.

The Gender of TAC

Even though the main word 'tomografía' is feminine (la), this shortened version is almost always used as a masculine noun (el TAC).

Using the wrong gender

Mistake:La TAC es mañana.

Correction: El TAC es mañana. While 'la' is technically possible because of 'la tomografía,' almost everyone uses the masculine 'el' in conversation.

escáner

nounB1general/medical
Use 'escáner' when referring to the physical machine that performs the scan, or sometimes more generally for the scan result as a digital image.

Examples

El hospital compró un escáner de última generación.

The hospital bought a state-of-the-art scanner.

TAC vs. Escáner

Learners often confuse 'tac' and 'escáner'. Remember that 'tac' is almost exclusively used for the medical imaging procedure itself or its results, while 'escáner' refers more broadly to the machine or a scanned image in general.

Related Translations

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