Top 10 Most Common Italian Food Mispronunciations

It’s great that we are in the age of “foodies” where many people are open to trying foods that are new to them and that they may not have grown up with in their culture.  And Italian foods are some of the most approachable, wine-friendly foods for those just starting to branch out into new cuisines.  But along with that new interest in Italian foods there has arisen an epidemic of mispronouncing them (see my example in #7!).

So, I thought it would be helpful to clarify a few of these to help those who may be novices avoid getting funny looks or even worse when ordering in a restaurant or bakery.

And to be clear- I’m not talking about shortened down Americanized versions of Italian foods that you may have heard. I’m OK with “gabagool” for capocollo or “pasta fazul” for pasta fagioli. Those are simply what many of us Italian Americans grew up saying. I’m talking about foods that commonly appear on restaurant menus as their true Italian name. If you’re interested, you can also learn more about the differences between Italian food and Italian American food.

As a side note- what I commonly see is that many times these mispronunciations involve the letter ‘c’ in one way or another. Pronouncing c’s in Italian can definitely be tricky, but here are some general rules of thumb:

• “ch” is usually pronounced like a “k’.
• “c” is commonly pronounced like “ch” when followed by “e or “I”
• “c” is pronounced like “k” when followed by “a”, “o”,  or “u”.
• “cc” is pronounced like “tch”
• “sc” is pronounced like “sh” when followed by “e or “i”

Confused? Don’t worry. Without further ado, let’s clear up the top 10 most mispronounced Italian foods:

1. Bruschetta: No, it’s not pronounced Bru- SHET-uh. The correct pronunciation is Bru-SKET-Uh.
2. Cannoli: Mostly everyone pronounces this one correctly. So, why did it make our list? Because most people use the plural (more than one) when they actually want just one. There is no such thing as “a” cannoli because cannoli is plural. The singular is cannolo. So, you can have “a” cannolo.
3. Biscotti: This is the exact same scenario as cannoli. There is no such thing is “a” biscotti because biscotti is plural. But you can have “a” biscotto.
4. Pistachio: So far, you’re probably with me. But this is where I may lose some of you. Most people pronounce this “nut” as Piss-Tash-e-o. But the correct pronunciation is actually Pee-Stock-e-o. Awkward, I know. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. Don’t shoot the messenger!
5. Gnocci: This is one I have heard so many different incorrect variations of: Knock-ee, G’Knock-ee, and No-Key. None of these are correct. The correct pronunciation is Nyawk-Key.
6. Arancini: The ‘c’ in this delicious Sicilian rice ball is not pronounced like an ‘s’ but rather like a “ch”: Ah-Ron-Chee-Nee.
7. Prosciutto: I swear to God this is true- I saw a video on Instagram from a cooking content creator whom shall remain nameless and he pronounced it Prosky-Otto. It made me so angry because he said it with such authority too. Anyway, that is just one extreme example of how people butcher this word. The correct pronunciation is Pro-Shoot-Tow.
8. Orecchiette: This increasingly popular pasta that is named for its ear-like shape is another one where pronunciation is all over the place: Or-ick-Kett, Or-Wreck-A-Tay, and many more. The correct way to pronounce it is Or-Ray-Key-Yet-Tay.
9. Sangiovese: Our Drink With Sunday Sauce wine is made primarily from this wine grape, the most commonly planted grape in Italy. The two most common mispronunciations I hear with this one are starting it with “san” (rhyming with “pan” or ending it with “veese” (rhyming with “geese”).  The correct pronunciation is Son-Joe-Vay-Zay.
10. Chianti: And finally, we are a wine brand so let’s end with one more Italian wine pronunciation. In one of the most famous lines in cinematic history, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ famously mispronounces it as “Key-Ann-Tee”. This led to a lot of people doing so for many years. He was kind of close. The correct pronunciation is Key-On-Tee.

I hope you enjoyed this learning exercise. Bookmark this page to pull it up quickly the next time you’re at an Italian restaurant. Mangiamo!