How to Pronounce “empanada”

American (US)

/ˌempəˈnɑːdə/

British (UK)

/ˌempəˈnɑːdə/

noun — A baked or fried pastry turnover with a savoury filling.

Example: Each empanada was crimped by hand.

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

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌempəˈnɑːdə/ 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 "empanada" mean?

empanada (noun): A baked or fried pastry turnover with a savoury filling. For example — Each empanada was crimped by hand.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "empanada", /ˌempəˈnɑːdə/, 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 "empanada"?

/ˌempəˈnɑːdə/ in American English, /ˌempəˈnɑːdə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "empanada"?

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

• Spanish loanwords