How to Pronounce “tiramisu”

American (US)

/ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/

British (UK)

/ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/

noun — An Italian dessert of coffee-soaked sponge layered with sweetened mascarpone.

Example: The tiramisu was strong enough to keep them awake.

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

An unstressed vowel reduces to schwa. /ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/ 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 "tiramisu" mean?

tiramisu (noun): An Italian dessert of coffee-soaked sponge layered with sweetened mascarpone. For example — The tiramisu was strong enough to keep them awake.

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

Both accents use the same sequence of phonemes for "tiramisu", /ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/, 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 "tiramisu"?

/ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/ in American English, /ˌtɪrəmiˈsuː/ in British English.

Which syllable is stressed in "tiramisu"?

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