English pronunciation · Words Starting with C
Cacao Pronunciation
Cacao is pronounced kuh-KAY-oh, IPA /kəˈkeɪoʊ/.
kuh-KAY-oh
US /kəˈkeɪoʊ/ · UK /ˈkækaʊ/
Syllables: kuh · KAY · oh (3 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
noun: The tropical tree whose seeds are used to make chocolate and cocoa.
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Cacao in a Sentence
- Cacao grows within about twenty degrees of the equator.
- The bar lists cacao as its first ingredient.
- She roasts the cacao beans herself.
Common Mispronunciations of Cacao
Not kuh-KOW
American dictionaries give three beats, kuh-KAY-oh, with the ao split across two of them. The kow reading belongs to the British version of the word and to the Spanish original.
Not KOH-koh
Cacao and cocoa are different words. Cocoa is the powder, KOH-koh, and cacao is the tree and the raw bean.
Tip: British speakers usually say kuh-KOW or kuh-KAH-oh, and both are heard on chocolate packaging.
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