Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

al dente

/æl ˈdɛn.teɪ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: al -dente
IPA: /æl ˈdɛn.teɪ/

8

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Firm to the bite, cooked just right.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian al dente (literally “to the tooth”).

Inflected Forms

more al dente (comparative) most al dente (superlative)

Rhymes With

plenty twenty venti dolce far niente pentimenti genty benty

Questions

How do you pronounce al dente?: The recorded pronunciation is /æl ˈdɛn.teɪ/.
What does al dente mean?: Firm to the bite, cooked just right.
Where does al dente come from?: Borrowed from Italian al dente (literally “to the tooth”).

How to pronounce al dente

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “al dente”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/æl ˈdɛn.teɪ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “al dente”.
Repeat and practice — Say “al dente” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.