If you’re never sure how to pronounce ‘quinoa’, it might be because you’ve heard different people say it differently. There are actually two ways to pronounce ‘quinoa’ in American English.
One way to pronounce ‘quinoa’ is to say it like in Spanish:
keen-waa [IPA: ˈkinˌwɑ]
In this pronunciation, there are two syllables, and the primary stress is on the first syllable.
1. keen
Start with a K sound and shift into a long EE sound, as in ‘see’. Then end with an N sound.
2. waa
Start with a W sound and shift into the AA as in ‘father’.
Another way to pronounce this word is with 3 syllables:
kee-now-uh [IPA: kiˈnoʊ.ə]
In this pronunciation, the stress is on the second syllable.
1. kee
Start with a K sound and shift into a long EE sound, as in ‘see’.
2. now
Start with an N sound and shift into an OW diphthong as in the word ‘go’.
3. uh
This last syllable is made only of the schwa sound. To pronounce this vowel, your mouth should be completely relaxed. The schwa is super short, as if it doesn’t even exist.
Which pronunciation to choose? The one you like better.
Watch the tutorial on the pronunciation of ‘quinoa’ and practice with me:
Want to learn a few more challenging but useful food words? Watch my tutorials on words ‘cuisine’, ‘gyro‘, ‘Worcestershire’, ‘croissant’, ‘burger’ and the episode about 6 Food names you (probably) mispronounce.
Additional Resources:
