How to Pronounce “appetizer”

British (UK)

/ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə/

noun — A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal.

Example: We ordered soup as an appetizer before the main course.

Where the stress falls. “appetizer” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə/ contains a schwa /ə/ — the short, neutral “uh” that English unstressed syllables collapse into. Saying /ə/ there, instead of the vowel the spelling suggests, is most of what makes the word sound native.

What does "appetizer" mean?

appetizer (noun): A small, light, and usually savory first course in a meal. For example — We ordered soup as an appetizer before the main course.

Which syllable is stressed in "appetizer"?

“appetizer” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the first one — so the first syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.