How to Pronounce “piccata”

American (US)

/pɪˈkɑːtə/

British (UK)

/pɪˈkɑːtə/

adjective — Sliced, sautéed and served with lemon, parsley and butter sauce.

Where the stress falls. “piccata” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /pɪˈkɑːtə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /pɪˈkɑːtə/ 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 "piccata" mean?

piccata (adjective): Sliced, sautéed and served with lemon, parsley and butter sauce.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "piccata", /pɪˈkɑːtə/, 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 "piccata"?

/pɪˈkɑːtə/ in American English, /pɪˈkɑːtə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "piccata"?

“piccata” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /pɪˈkɑːtə/ puts the primary stress mark (ˈ) before the second one — so the second syllable is the longest and loudest. The others are said quickly and lightly.