How to Pronounce “quesadilla”

American (US)

/ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/

British (UK)

/ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/

noun — A tortilla folded over melted cheese and other fillings, then griddled.

Example: She made a quick quesadilla for lunch.

A loanword from Spanish. The ll is the y sound and the qu is /k/, giving “keh-sah-DEE-yah”.

Where the stress falls. “quesadilla” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/ 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. /ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/ 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 "quesadilla" mean?

quesadilla (noun): A tortilla folded over melted cheese and other fillings, then griddled. For example — She made a quick quesadilla for lunch.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "quesadilla", /ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/, 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 "quesadilla"?

/ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/ in American English, /ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "quesadilla"?

“quesadilla” has 4 syllables, and the transcription /ˌkeɪsəˈdiːjə/ 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