Trying new cuisines and expanding your palate are marvelous experiences, but it can be difficult to order unfamiliar foods if you don’t know how to pronounce them. This list is for anyone who has ever looked at a restaurant menu and stumbled over the words in front of them. Whether you want to nail your next açai bowl order or impress your date by selecting gnocchi at an Italian restaurant, we have you covered.
Au jus
Pronunciation: oh-ZHOO
This French culinary term means “with the juice,” and it typically shows up with roasted meat served alongside its own juices (pan drippings). Since the word is French, it’s pronounced “oh-ZHOO” (the “s” is silent). An important cooking note on au jus — it’s usually not thickened with flour or cornstarch, which is what makes it distinct from gravy.
Açai
Pronunciation: uh-SIGH-ee
These dark purple berries have become something of a smoothie-shop celebrity. The generally accepted pronunciation for this four-letter, three-syllable Portuguese term stresses the second syllable — “uh-SIGH-ee” — but many people seem to drop the “ee” altogether. Your order will likely still be correct, but the pronunciation is incorrect without the full three syllables.
Bouillon
Pronunciation: BOO(l)-yahn
Bouillon is a flavor-packed additive that makes a delicious broth for soup. The word “bouillon” is borrowed from a French term that translates to “liquid in which something has boiled” (aka broth). Introduced in 1908 by the Swiss company Maggi, bouillon comes in cubes, powders, and pastes, and in seemingly all flavors, including chicken, beef, fish, and mushroom. As for how to say it: The double “l” is nearly silent in the American pronunciation (“BOO(l)-yahn”).
Espresso
Pronunciation: eh-SPRESS-oh
There’s no “x” in this one, but the coffeehouse hero sometimes gets mixed up with a similar word in English, “express,” resulting in the incorrect pronunciation “expresso.” Espresso is a strong black coffee made by passing steam through ground coffee beans. It comes from the Italian phrase caffè espresso, meaning “pressed-out coffee.”
Chipotle
Pronunciation: chuh-POHT-lay
This Mexican hot chili pepper rose to fame after a namesake American fast-food chain opened in the ’90s. “Chipotle” is a Mexican Spanish word that came from the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. It’s mispronounced in many ways, but the most common culprit might be “chuh-powl-tay,” which swaps the correct placement of the “l” and “t.” The correct pronunciation ends with “lay,” not “tay.”
Gnocchi
Pronunciation: NYOH-kee
“Gnocchi” comes from the Italian word nocca, meaning “knuckle.” These small Italian dumplings (often made from potatoes) can be found in restaurants and specialty groceries across the country, but their name is tricky for English speakers because its sounds aren’t very intuitive. The “g” is silent, as in “gnome,” but there is also an extra sound in the first syllable — it’s “NYOH-kee,” not “NO-kee.” (Americans also sometimes say “NYAW-kee,” which is an incorrect pronunciation of the “o” sound.)
Gyro
Pronunciation: yee-roh or zhihr-oh
Americans are infamous for mispronouncing this one. These tasty pitas are often called “je-ye-rohs” in America, similar to the pronunciation of the first part of the word “gyroscope,” but this is incorrect. There are two accepted pronunciations for the dish —“YEE-roh” or “ZHIHR-oh” — neither of which has a “je-ye” sound at the beginning. The word “gyro” came into English in the 1970s when it was adapted from the Greek word guros (meaning “turning”), because the meat for gyros is made by turning a haunch of meat on a spit.
Macaron
Pronunciation: mak-uh-ROHN
A macaron (pronounced “mak-uh-ROHN,” rhymes with “loan”) is a small French sandwich cookie that comes in many colors and flavors, while a macaroon (pronounced “mak-uh-roon,” rhymes with “spoon”) is a fluffy round cookie made primarily of egg whites and coconut flakes. Macarons have been around since at least the 1500s, when they were made for the French court. The history of macaroons isn’t quite as clear, but today, they’re a popular Passover treat in many Jewish households.
Phở
Pronunciation: fuh
This Vietnamese soup is often pronounced as “foe” by Americans — a word that rhymes with “go.” But the correct pronunciation is more similar to “fuh” (rhymes with “duh”). Pho is made of broth, herbs, noodles, and meat. The most popular types of this dish are the beef phở bo (rhymes with “bah”), chicken phở ga (rhymes with “gah”), and vegetarian phở chay (rhymes with “yay”).
Poké
Pronunciation: poh-KAY
Poké bowls have been popping up on many sushi restaurant menus and even in stand-alone restaurants. The word doesn’t rhyme with “coke” — that accent mark over the “e” means that it should be pronounced as “ay.” Poké is a Hawaiian word that describes a salad made from cubed pieces of raw seafood (often tuna) that is marinated in soy sauce and sesame oil.
Quinoa
Pronunciation: KEEN-wah
These edible, starchy seeds are popular in salads and side dishes. Originally grown in the Andes Mountains by the Quechua people, the plant got its name from the Spanish spelling of “Quechua.” Often, the pronunciation of this word is overcomplicated. It’s simply “KEEN-wah,” not “kee-no-ah” or “kwin-no-ah” (or any combination of the two).
Pronunciation: SHUR-buht
Much to the surprise of many English speakers, there is no second “r” in sherbet. That’s right — it rhymes with “but,” not “burt.” This frozen dessert comes in many fruity flavors and is akin to ice cream. In the U.K., “sherbet” has a different meaning — it’s a powder used to add flavor, especially in drinks. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the misspelling of this word (adding an extra “r”) is so common that it accounts for nearly one-quarter of its citations.
Pronunciation: WOO-stuh-shir
Worcestershire sauce was named after a county in west central England. Today, it’s often used in marinades, stir-fries, and salad dressings. It pops up on almost every list of hard-to-pronounce words, but “Worcestershire” might be harder to learn how to spell than it is to pronounce. The most confusing part of the pronunciation is knowing which letters to skip. From the beginning, skip the first “r” and the “ce,” and barely say the second “r.” It should sound like “WOO-stuh-shir” (rhymes with “fir”).
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
