30 Commonly Mispronounced Food Words (And How To Say Them Correctly)

Alessandra Bulow

We can understand that people frequently mispronounce words like quinoa, gnocchi, and Sriracha—but how about “ravioli”? The menu at Giada De Laurentiis’ new Las Vegas restaurant phonetically spells out the pronunciation of each of her pasta dishes, like the Lobster Ravioli (“rah-VEEOH-lee”) and Rigatoni (“ree-gah-TOH-neh”) with Vegetable Bolognese.

De Laurentiis’s menu inspired us to think about the foods that we actuallyfind challenging to pronounce at restaurants. For example, chefs like Matthew Lightner of New York City’s Atera are creating dishes with an edible fungus called lichen (“LAHY-kuhn”).

So, with that in mind, here are 30 more commonly mispronounced food words — and the phonetic guides to help you say them (and, in some cases, their alternate pronunciations) correctly.

1. Aïoli (“ay-OH-lee”; “i-OH-lee”)

2. Ambrosia (“am-BROH-zhah”)

3. Ancho (“AHN-choh”)*

4. Anise (“AN-ihss”)*

5. Boudin (“boo-DAHN”)

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6. Bouillabaisse (“BOOL-yuh-BAYZ”; “BOOL-yuh-BEHZ”)

7. Caramel (“KEHR-ah-mehl”; “KAR-ah-mehl”)

8. Charcuterie (“shahr-KOO-tuhr-ee”; “shar-koo-tuhr-EE”)*

9. Croissant (“kwah-SAHN”; “KWAH-sawn”; “kruh-SAHNT”)

10. Crudités (“kroo-dee-TAY”)

11. Edamame (“eh-dah-MAH-meh”)

12. Foie gras (“FWAH GRAH”]

13. Haricot vert (“ah-ree-koh VEHR”)

14. Hummus (“HOOM-uhs”)

15. Jicama (“HEE-kah-mah”)*

16. Lichen (“LAHY-kuhn”)*

17. Macaron (“mak-uh-RUH”)

18. Mascarpone (“mas-kar-POH-nay; mas-kahr-POH-nay”)

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19. Muffuletta (“moof-fuh-LEHT-tuh”)

20. Parmesan (“PAHR-muh-zahn”)*

21. Prosciutto (“proh-SHOO-toh”)*

22. Radicchio (“rah-DEE-kee-oh”)

23. Rillettes (“ree-YEHT”; “rih-LEHTS”)

24. Raita (“RI-tah”)

25. Restaurateur (“rehs-tuhr-uh-TOOR”; “rehs-tuhr-uh-TUHR”)**

26. Sake (“SAH-kee”; “SAH-kay”)*

27. Sherbet (“SHER-biht”)

28. Tzatziki (“dzah-DZEE-kee”)

29. Vinaigrette (“vihn-uh-GREHT”)

30. Worcestershire (“WOOS-tuhr-shuhr”; “WOOS-tuhr-sheer”)

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