Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

canasta

/kəˈnæstə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.83 in modern English

Syllables: canas-ta
IPA: /kəˈnæstə/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A card game similar to rummy and played using two packs, where the object is to meld groups of the same rank.

Uncountable

noun

A meld of seven cards in a game of canasta.

Countable

Example Sentences

"“Do you know something, Fred?” she announced, “I won four dollars and eighty-five cents playing Canasta this afternoon.” “Canasta!” exclaimed Mr. Grimes, “I didn′t know you could play that silly game.”"
"Imagine, first, two players who engage in a game of canasta according to a standard set of rules.[…]We may imagine, however, that at a certain moment the two canasta players cease to play canasta and start a discussion of the rules."
"Modern American Canasta is a younger cousin of the game of Canasta I explain here."
"Groups of seven of a kind are called canastas, and before a player can go out he or his partner must have at least one canasta."

Etymology

From Spanish canasta. The game originates from Uruguay.

Origin

Source language: Spanish

Word Breakdown

Root: canasta

Usage

Inflected Forms

canastas (plural)

Synonyms

basket rummy meld

Rhymes With

shasta hasta basta casta vasta nasta

Questions

How do you pronounce canasta?: The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈnæstə/.
What does canasta mean?: A card game similar to rummy and played using two packs, where the object is to meld groups of the same rank.
Where does canasta come from?: It is traced to Spanish.

How to pronounce canasta

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