How to Pronounce “tapenade”

American (US)

/ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/

British (UK)

/ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/

noun — A Provençal dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil, usually eaten with bread as an hors d'œuvre.

The final e is silent. The transcription /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ ends on a consonant sound, so the written e at the end of “tapenade” is not pronounced.

Where the stress falls. “tapenade” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ 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. /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ 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 "tapenade" mean?

tapenade (noun): A Provençal dish consisting of puréed or finely chopped olives, capers, anchovies, and olive oil, usually eaten with bread as an hors d'œuvre.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "tapenade", /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/, 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 "tapenade"?

/ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ in American English, /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "tapenade"?

“tapenade” has 3 syllables, and the transcription /ˌtæ.pəˈnɑːd/ 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.