How to Pronounce “canapé”

American (US)

/ˈkænəpeɪ/

British (UK)

/ˈkænəpeɪ/

noun — An hors d’oeuvre, a bite-sized open-faced sandwich made of thin bread or toast topped with savory garnish.

Where the stress falls. “canapé” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈkænəpeɪ/ 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. /ˈkænəpeɪ/ 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 "canapé" mean?

canapé (noun): An hors d’oeuvre, a bite-sized open-faced sandwich made of thin bread or toast topped with savory garnish.

How do you pronounce "canapé" in American vs British English?

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "canapé", /ˈkænəpeɪ/, so the difference you hear is in how the vowels are coloured rather than in which sounds are used. Play both on this page to compare.

What is the IPA transcription of "canapé"?

/ˈkænəpeɪ/ in American English, /ˈkænəpeɪ/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "canapé"?

“canapé” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˈkænəpeɪ/ 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.