Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

capisce

/kəˈpiʃ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.19 in modern English

Syllables: cap-isce
IPA: /kəˈpiʃ/

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

intj

Used by a listener to confirm that they have understood something said to them: I got it, I heard you, I understand.

American usage; Slang

intj

Used by a speaker to confirm that the listener has understood something said to the latter: did you hear me?, get it?, understood?

American usage; Offensive; Slang

verb

To understand (someone or something).

American usage; Slang; Transitive verb

verb

American usage; Intransitive verb; Slang

Example Sentences

""I have a niece." / "No children?" / "Not married." / "What is the problem?" / "I'm single. No wife, no kids. No problem." / "Capisce." / "Yeah, capisce.""
""It’s simple. Here's the rules: One of us says 'Never Have I Ever' and finishes the sentence. If you've done whatever the thing is, you drink. Yeah?" / "Capisce." I salute and he laughs."
""I just want the father to be around. So you have to return home safe. Capisce?" / "Yeah, capisce.""
"It's very simple, George, you forget about this whole licensing lawsuit pipe dream of yours or you can forget about your buddy working in my factory for the next couple of years. I will be that angry. Capiche?"
"Detective Brodka: Hey kid, one more thing: if you ever set foot in this store again, you'll be spending Christmas in juvenile hall! Capisce? / Bart: [silently stares in confusion] / Brodka: Well, do you understand? / Bart: Everything except "capisce.""
"You gotta start respecting Johnny, the way you respect me. Capisce?"

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from the spoken Neapolitan and Sicilian equivalents of either of the following: * Italian capisce (literally “he, she, etc., understands”), the third-person singular present indicative form; or * capisci (literally “you understand”) (possibly with the final vowel dropped or reduced in informal speech), the second-person singular present indicative form; of capire (“to understand”), from Latin capere, the present active infinitive of capiō (“to capture, catch, seize; to comprehend, understand; etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grab, seize; to hold”).

Origin

Source language: Italian

Word Breakdown

Root: *kap-, capisce, capere

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kəˈpiʃ/
British English: /kəˈpiːʃ/

Usage

Inflected Forms

capeesh (alternative) capiche (alternative) capisch (alternative) capische (alternative) capishe (alternative) coppish (alternative) kabish (alternative) capisces (present, singular) capiscing (participle, present) capisced (participle, past) capisced (past)

Rhymes With

niche leash unleash sheesh quiche hashish pastiche corniche laois fiche baksheesh guiche

Questions

How do you pronounce capisce?: The recorded pronunciation is /kəˈpiʃ/.
What does capisce mean?: Used by a listener to confirm that they have understood something said to them: I got it, I heard you, I understand.
Where does capisce come from?: It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce capisce

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “capisce”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kəˈpiʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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