English pronunciation · Words Starting with C
Cafe Pronunciation
Cafe is pronounced kuh-FAY, IPA /kæˈfeɪ/.
kuh-FAY
US /kæˈfeɪ/
Syllables: kuh · FAY (2 syllables, stress on syllable 2)
noun: A small place selling coffee, tea, and light meals.
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Cafe in a Sentence
- There is a cafe on the corner that opens at six.
- We sat outside the cafe for an hour.
- The museum cafe does a decent soup.
Common Mispronunciations of Cafe
Not KAYF
The final e is sounded as a long ay, which is unusual for English but standard in this borrowing. Silencing it gives the British slang caff, which is deliberate rather than accidental.
Not KA-fay
Most speakers put the beat on the second half, ka-FAY, keeping the French shape. The front-stressed CA-fay is also common in Britain and is not wrong.
Tip: Written with the accent, café, the pronunciation is identical. Both spellings are correct in English.
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