How to Pronounce “panna cotta”

British (UK)

/ˌpanə ˈkɒtə/

noun — A northern Italian dessert consisting of flavoured double cream set with gelatine, often served with fruit sauce or caramel syrup.

Where the stress falls. “panna cotta” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌpanə ˈkɒtə/ 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. /ˌpanə ˈkɒtə/ 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 "panna cotta" mean?

panna cotta (noun): A northern Italian dessert consisting of flavoured double cream set with gelatine, often served with fruit sauce or caramel syrup.

Which syllable is stressed in "panna cotta"?

“panna cotta” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌpanə ˈkɒtə/ 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.