Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cafeteria

/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.44 in modern English

Syllables
cafe-te-ria
IPA
/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
5
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.

Canadian usage; American usage

noun

A dining area in an institution where meals may be purchased (as above), provided, or brought in from elsewhere.

Canadian usage; American usage

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish cafetería (“coffeehouse”), from cafetera (“coffee maker”), from French cafetière, from café, from Ottoman Turkish قهوه (kahve) (Turkish kahve), from Arabic قَهْوَة (qahwa, “coffee”). Doublet of cafetière.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/
  • British English: /ˌka.fə.ˈtɪə̯.ɹi.ə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

cafeterias (plural) caféteria (alternative, uncommon) cafétéria (alternative, rare) cafeterie (alternative, dated)

Derived Forms

auditeria booketeria buffeteria cafeterial groceteria luncheteria

Phrases

cafeteria bowling cafeteria Catholic cafeteria Catholicism cafeteria Christian cafeteria Christianity cafeteria plan cafeteria-style cafeteria truck

Frequently Paired Words

caf caff café cafe cafetorium drugeteria washeteria

Synonyms

lunchroom canteen

Rhymes With

syria nigeria criteria bacteria algeria siberia iberia assyria listeria elyria seria gaviria

Questions

How do you pronounce cafeteria?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/.
What does cafeteria mean?
A restaurant in which customers select their food at a counter then carry it on a tray to a table to eat.
Where does cafeteria come from?
It is traced to French.

How to pronounce cafeteria

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cafeteria”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “cafeteria”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “cafeteria” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.