Ensuring patients understand their diagnosis and care plan is important to achieving optimal outcomes. However, patients routinely report not understanding what their provider has told them. In this study, adults were asked for their understanding of jargon clinicians regularly use (“negative” test results, NPO) and a corresponding statement without jargon (“you do not have an infection”, “nothing by mouth”). Some jargon was better understood (“negative”) than other jargon (“occult infection”). Participant demographics were not significantly associated with understanding jargon.